Page 23 of Lost Love Found

“But you and Raf kiss. So maybe there are just certain places friends don’t kiss, is that correct?” His one eyebrow dances skyward and he still seems genuinely curious about our friendship boundaries. How is he so cool about this? I’m sweating hard over here.

“Right. There are definite no-kiss zones.” I wave my arms over my chest and crotch, feeling like a true idiot. That’s because you ARE an idiot.

He chuckles, removes his seat belt and moves closer to me. Shit. I can smell his cologne and it’s delightful. That foresty scent is making my head all fuzzy.

“Raf kissed you on the head, so that’s allowed, right?” He leans and places a kiss on my temple, then my forehead as I nod. “And George kissed you on the cheek. We’ve done that before, so that’s OK, too?” He leans in and I feel his beard on my cheek before his soft lips deliver a kiss there. I nod again. “How about here?” He kisses my jaw, and I can feel his breath land on my neck, warm and soft.

“Ummm, sure.” I chastise myself for how shaky my voice sounds because he seems completely unphased by all this kissing.

“And here?” His nose brushes against my earlobe, and his lips leave a scalding kiss on my neck. My breath hitches and I can hear my heartbeat pounding in between my ears. He sits back so he can see my face, which is about eight different shades of red, I’m sure. “Lainey?”

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Get it together!

“N–No. No, I don’t think that’s a good place for friends to kiss.” I swallow hard and feel his hand on my shoulder as it travels down my arm. He picks up my hand.

“OK. I’m sorry.” I see his apologetic eyes and nod. “How about here?” He brings my hand up to his face and brushes his nose across my knuckles before placing a kiss on each one.

“F-fine. The hand is fine.” I say a little too breathlessly for my liking. But maybe it’s because I see what he’s doing next.

He puts the tips of my fingers to his lips and I can’t help it, they move over his delicious mouth all on their own. You don’t know that his lips are delicious, so stop thinking about them!

I can't tell if he says anything. The heartbeat thumping in my ears is too loud. He keeps going, holding my hand as he brings my wrist to his lips. I feel his breath against my pulse and when his lips touch down, I can’t take any more. Surely he can see, hear, and feel how fast my heart is beating now.

The car comes to a stop, and I yank my hand away from his grip. “No, not there either.” I fumble with my seat belt and bolt out of the car, taking in huge gulping breaths of the chilled winter air. Seriously, what the hell just happened?

11

is drinking beer sexy now?

adam

Maybe I went too far, but I was upset by what she said and wanted to prove that there was more between us than just friendship. I know what I told Raf, but that was bullshit. I said that to stop him from scowling at me and asking more questions. Plus, what kind of deal did she have with Ben? When she mentioned hooking up with other people, a wave of envy took over me - which probably pushed me to wanting to kiss her all over. I don't want anyone else's lips on her, only mine.

Then I decided to test our boundaries. I’ve seen how affectionate she is with her friends, and I wanted to know if that affection applies to me as well. I’d have to be an absolute idiot not to notice how some of those kisses affected her. I know they did. Her breath changed, and her face flushed. I just about lost it hearing her gasp when I kissed her neck. And now I know her wrist is a sensitive spot. I’ve just learned a few important things about my girl. My girl? Dude. No. Not yet.

I also know I need to respect her wishes. If she really wants to be just friends, I won't force anything. I'm not that guy. I just have to be patient.

When Lainey storms out of the car, I'm thankful for the moment to settle the raging hard-on in my pants. I get out of the car and see she's leaning against it, her face red and her body rigid with tension. We walk side by side, neither of us willing to touch, until we reach Maeve's door. I look at her to see if she's still flustered, and all that remains is a cool mask of indifference. “Do you want to come in? We can wait for them in here.” Her voice is surprisingly level.

I walk in and she shrugs her coat off, hanging it by the front door. She slips her shoes off and starts walking towards the kitchen, bringing her arms up as she removes her sweater to reveal a white tank top underneath, which rides up as her sweater comes off. My eyes travel from her toned arms down to her little waist, down further… Goddamn, she has the perfect ass.

“Do you want some water? Or tea?” She’s already in the kitchen when she asks and I’m still wearing my coat, thinking about her perfect body walking away from mine.

“Wa–water’s good.” Why is my voice hoarse? I step into the kitchen, and she stands on one side of the counter with two glasses already filled. The glint of the glassware in the light catches my attention. I grab a tall barstool from the corner, its metal legs clanking as I pull it up to the opposite side of the counter. We both meet each other in the silence and take a sip of cool water.

“Alright, so now we have kissing and touching boundaries. Do you have any other questions?” She’s serious and seems fully recovered from the car kisses.

“What kinds of things do you do with your friends? Is going out for meals allowed? Or spending time together alone?” Because I want to spend so much time alone with her. So, so much time.

“Of course. There’s no allowed. We can always talk about things as they happen, so if either of us is uncomfortable with something, we just say so.” She’s holding on to the countertop with both hands, elbows locked and eyes on me. “For example, if someone you’re dating doesn’t like us spending time together, we talk about it.” She grabs her glass to drink some more water, her eyes widening as she realizes it’s empty.

“Well, we don’t have to worry about that. I’m not dating anyone, nor will I be.” I hear myself and feel genuinely surprised I’ve just admitted this. But it’s true. I will not be dating anyone. No way. Not when I know the exact shade of pink Elaina’s neck turns when she’s flustered from my kisses… or was she turned on?

“What kinds of things do you and Raf do?” I really want to know, because he says she’s like a little sister, but I’m still a little jealous of how freely they hug and that nickname he has for her. Even though I know Raf has nicknames for everyone.

She turns around and gets more water from the dispenser on the fridge door. She lets out a little laugh. “Well, Raf and I used to do this thing where we would pretend to be dating.” She turns around, smiling, and her eyes go big when she sees the stupefied look on my face. “Oh no. No, no, no. Not like that. If he saw a guy hitting on me and he could tell I wasn’t into it, he’d walk over, throw an arm around my shoulder and scare the dude away. It helps that his nickname for me definitely has a double meaning.” A giggle escapes her lips as her eyes light up and she lets out a content sigh, as if recalling a pleasant moment in time.

“Oh? And what did you do? I can’t imagine Raf wants girls scared away that often. He seems to give them all equal attention.” I get up now to pour myself another glass of water and she turns, resting her hip on the countertop so we’re facing one another.

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