Page 40 of Unforgettable

She plopped down next to me and gasped, lightly smacking me on the arm in excitement. I couldn’t help but smile. “That’s the one I’ve been wanting to see! It’s new and they talk about…” She stopped abruptly, waved her hand, and turned to face the front without finishing her sentence.

“Wait, why’d you stop? What’s this one about?” I asked, urging her to continue.

“I feel like I’ve been talking about nerdy science stuff this entire time, and I’m sure you’re sick of hearing me go on and on. And we’ll see in a few minutes, anyway, right? No need for me to spoil it before it begins.”

Immediately, I replayed the entire night and tried to think of a moment when I said or did something to make her feel that way.

“What makes you think that?”

“Makes me think what? That you’re tired of hearing me drone on and on about science shit?”

I nodded.

“Well, because it’s not like you’re interested in all of this like I am, and I know that if you’re not interested in it, then it can get boring or annoying when I talk about it.” She shrugged like it was just a fact of life that someone would find what she’s passionate about annoying.

“I can tell you’re speaking from experience, and it’s fucking infuriating that someone, anyone, would ever tell you that you’re annoying or boring. So, just so we’re clear, I’m not sick of hearing you talk about something you love. It’s the exact opposite, actually. So go ahead and tell me about the show,” I said, motioning to the screen. “I promise I want to hear about it.”

I settled back into the cushy black seat and reclined slightly, prepared to hear about the show. But what I wasn’t prepared for was one of Amanda’s hands cupping the left side of my face and urging me to look back in her direction. Her smooth fingers were a harsh contradiction against my rough stubble, but it felt so fucking good to have her touch me.

Her eyes roamed my face, raking over my forehead and my cheeks, pausing on my eyes and thoughtfully considering my mouth. I couldn’t remember the last time I blushed, but my cheeks warmed under her scrutiny. She licked her lips, her bottom one pulled between her teeth as her focus bounced between my eyes and mouth. Her thumb brushed my lower lip as her gaze settled there, and I watched as she made her decision.

The next thing I knew, her lips had replaced the feeling of her eyes on my mouth. At first, they were soft, barely a whisper against my own, and I let her take the lead, although every part of me was itching to take over. To push my tongue against hers and pull her onto my lap, so she could grind against me and take her pleasure. I wanted to claim every inch of her and in every way that counted.

And the opportunity presented itself when she reached her other hand around my head and weaved her fingers through my hair, pressing her tongue against my lips, eagerly requesting entrance. I parted my lips and without a moment’s hesitation, she brushed her tongue against mine. The sweetness of the champagne tasted so much better on her tongue.

Her moan was immediate, and I swallowed it down as the little self-control I had snapped. In one swift movement, I pushed up the armrest between us and gripped her hips, guiding her to straddle my lap. And without any prompting, she settled directly on top of me. Even between the denim of her jeans and my own, I could feel the warmth radiating from between her legs as she pressed herself against my rapidly hardening erection.

She ground herself against me and pulled away slightly to gasp at the pressure. I took the opportunity to bite her bottom lip, sucking it into my mouth and hoping it might mark her. That she could wear and feel the evidence of me long after I took her home.

My name fell from her pretty little lips with a pleading sigh. In response, I used my grip on her hips to push her harder against me as I pressed up, guiding her hips back and forth.

“We can’t do this, Reed,” Amanda murmured against my mouth. Her words said one thing, but her actions said another. Her hips didn’t stop as she shamelessly ground herself against my very obvious bulge and her hands clung to my neck and shoulders as her mouth moved eagerly with my own.

I wasn’t strong enough to tell her to stop. There was an aching want deep inside of myself that craved her pleasure and her release as much as I wanted my own.

“We really shouldn’t,” she sighed as my lips found their way over her jaw and down the smooth planes of her neck. I paused to suck lightly on the spot behind her ear that I knew made her crazy, and her nails dug into my scalp as she tugged at my hair.

“Reed,” she said again, that time with a sternness she hadn’t mustered before. And with the change in her tone, I reluctantly pulled away from her neck, letting my head fall against the leather headrest behind me.

Her hands didn’t move from my hair, and I suddenly worried they would. That she would move, and I wanted her in my lap even if nothing escalated past making out. So, with my left hand, I held the spot where her hip met her thigh, and with my right, I ran my fingers up her arm and covered her hand with my own, making sure she didn’t let her hand leave my hair.

“Why can’t we do this?” I asked and wasn’t surprised by the lust dripping from my voice.

“I told myself when I agreed to y’all’s crazy plan that I wouldn’t let anything distract me from it. This isn’t something I’m taking lightly, and after tonight, I’m concerned that sex is going to complicate all of it even more than I thought. We know that the physical part isn’t an issue, but it’s the rest of it that we have to make sure works. And I know myself well enough to know that my vagina overrules my head more often than not. So in order to be able to make an intelligent and level-headed decision, she’s gotta stay out of it,” Amanda nodded in finality after motioning to between her legs where she was still pressed against me.

She was right—I knew everything she said was correct, yet that didn’t keep me from groaning when she plopped back into her seat.

She let out a little laugh but curled into my side as the screen changed around us.

“Did you know that it was this place that made me want to become a science teacher?” she whispered as more prominent and vivid galaxies morphed around us.

“I actually didn’t know that,” I remarked, studying the complexity of the images.

“Yeah, it was one of the few places my parents would allow Adam and me to go in the summer. Most of the time, we were stuck inside because…” She trailed off. Her expression was distracted and reminiscent, but it quickly vanished. “Well, just because, but I convinced them to let the two of us come here. For a while, one of our neighbors would drive us, but once I turned sixteen and got my license and a car, I’d bring us both all of the time. We’d spend hours here.”

The show had actually begun by the time she finished, which meant having a conversation over the loud narrator and soundtrack was nearly impossible. In response, I kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer to me. She nestled in and fit perfectly into my side like that’s where she was meant to be. And to me, it was. She was supposed to be not only in my arms but in every part of my life.

“Thanks for bringing me back here,” she turned her head and whispered into my ear before placing a chaste kiss on my jaw.

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