Page 48 of Love Collided

We made it almost an hour out of town before she pulled into a gas station and shut off the car.

“I don’t know what game you think you’re playing with me, but I’m not okay with it. Stop teasing me,” she said. Her words were angry and upset, her hands tightening on the steering wheel.

“Teasing you? Are you already turned on?”

“I meant teasing me like you seem to be playing this weird game of flirting and making comments about liking me. Just knock it off. I don’t have the time or energy for it.”

“I feel the need to point out that you’re the one that kissed me, and while I couldn’t exactly say this is a game, it is fun. Do you not like men spending time with you and telling you they like you? I can’t say I’m the best at this, but I thought I was doing okay.”

I couldn’t remember the last time I had this much fun flirting with any girl, or the last time I was thinking about the same girl over and over.

The last time I felt this obsessed with kissing someone again.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you,” she said as I leaned over and grabbed her braid to run it through my hands. It was so long that I grabbed it again, twisting it around my knuckles and tugging it. She was forced to look over at me, her lips parting and eyes wide.

“Don’t apologize for that.Neverapologize for that.”

“It wasn’t right, though. I don’t know if I was using you for comfort or thanking you for the help, but either way, kissing you wasn’t right.”

I slid my hands down her neck, wrapping it around the back until I could pull her closer. Damn, I wanted to kiss her again. I wanted her to crawl onto my lap one more time, wanted her to kiss me like she had the last time, like she needed me to give her the air from my damn lungs.

“Don’t ever apologize for kissing me,” I finally said, the words strained. “It’s almost literally all I’ve been thinking about for a week now. I don’t care why you did it.”

“I don’t usually go around making out with people for the wrong reasons.”

“You can kiss me anywhere, anytime and for any reason, and it wouldn’t be wrong. Kiss me to make Jesse jealous, kiss mewhen you need someone, you could kiss me at your own fucking wedding because you need the comfort and I would gladly participate. There is no wrong reason to kiss me.”

She smirked. “All of those are exact examples of wrong reasons to kiss someone.”

“No, Scout, kissing you could never be wrong.”

“It is if one of us gets hurt.”

“If you’re doing exactly what you want, you won’t be getting hurt.”

“The other party would be the one to get hurt, then. Whether it’s you or apparently, my future fiancé.”

“A price most people would be willing to pay.”

She shook her head with a laugh.

“You’re saying that it could be my wedding day and I tell youChase, I’m getting married but come make out with me first, and you would?”

“Yes, although if we are making a plan now, future me would also like to add in more than just a makeout session.”

She gave me a dramatic eye roll but didn’t turn away.

“And you don’t think cheating on my currently made up fiancé would be a problem?”

I leaned over further, the conversation doing nothing to change my need to feel her lips against mine again.

“No, I’ll tell him ahead of time that we already have an agreement. How mad could he be with a prior arrangement made between friends?”

“I think he could be pretty mad.”

“I guess we will deal with that mess on your wedding day. But how about for now you kiss me again? What wrong reason do you have today?”

“Or you can show off your gentleman-like attitude and fill the car up with gas.”

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