Page 65 of The Chase

Aggravation rises inside me. “Come on, Hollis.”

“See! Even better,” Katie says happily. “You two need to clear the air.”

“With your tongue,” the dark-haired Arielle agrees solemnly.

Nate, the captain of the hockey team, snorts in amusement. Why can’t I kisshim, dammit? He’s tall and built and has amazing, vivid blue eyes.

Before I can blink, Katie is tugging on my hand. My jaw drops as the tiny redhead, who can’t be more than five feet tall, muscles me onto my feet and gives me a little shove.

“You are freakishly strong,” I growl down at her. And I do meandown—I’m almost a head taller than this girl, yet she’s still able to manhandle me.

She grins. “I know.”

Fitz’s wary gaze sweeps the room. “How drunk are you guys, exactly?” He raises a brow at his team captain. “Since when do we play kissing games?”

Nate shrugs and lifts his beer bottle. “Only live once, right?” he says easily.

“All right, babes.” Katie claps her hands. “Kiss and make up.”

I give an outraged squeak when there’s another hard push on my back. I stumble forward, and I’m two seconds from smacking my nose on the doorframe before Fitz’s strong hands steady me.

His touch sends a bolt of heat through my body, and my breath catches in my throat when I notice that his eyes havesoftened. Actually, no. They may have lost their hard edges, but they’re certainly not soft. They’re heavy-lidded now, gleaming with unexpected heat.

Then he blinks, and the fire is replaced by exasperation.

“Let’s just do this so they shut up,” he murmurs so only I can hear. “She won’t let it go.”

He means Katie, and I think he might be right. Tonight’s my first time meeting her, but within five seconds of being introduced, I concluded that she’s a bossy little firecracker. Don’t get me wrong, she’s fun. But I feel like if you’re friends with Katie, she always has the final say about everything.

“Fine,” I murmur back. “No tongue.”

I see the merest hint of a smile. “No promises.”

I barely have time to process the unexpected teasing remark before Fitz cups my chin with one big hand. I vaguely register a loud whistle—I think it comes from Hollis. And then it gets drowned out by my pounding heartbeat as Fitz’s lips gently touch mine.

Oh.

Oh wow.

I didn’t expect him to start off so tender. In front of everyone. But he does. His thumb sweeps over my cheek as his mouth moves ever so slowly over mine. He’s got the softest lips I’ve ever felt, and he uses them with confidence. I shiver when he increases the pressure, sealing his lips tight to mine. And then the tip of his tongue slicks over my bottom lip, and I jolt as if I stuck my finger in a live socket.

The moment our tongues touch, I’m gone. A low hum of desire buzzes between my legs, crackling up to my breasts and hardening my nipples. I completely surrender to his kiss. I let his tongue sweep into my mouth. I let his fingersdig possessively into my waist, his warm breath to heat my mouth, his sexy scent to infuse my senses.

I can’t stop myself—I press one hand to his rock-hard chest. The other, I curl around the nape of his neck. The baby-fine hairs there tickle my palm. His left pec quivers beneath my palm, and I can feel his heartbeat. It’s hammering as fast as mine.

When I feel him start to pull away, a frantic, helpless sensation surges through me. I tighten my grip on his neck and kiss him harder. My tongue tangles with his, and I swallow the husky sound he makes. I hope nobody else heard it.

Because that beautiful desperate sound belongs to me. It’s all mine. I want to memorize the seductive resonance and replay it over and over again later, when I’m lying alone in bed, when my hand slides between my legs as I touch myself to the memory of this kiss.

Oh fuck. I’m so turned on. My legs are shaking. My panties are soaked.

I force myself to wrench our mouths apart. What takes even more willpower is not looking at him. I’m terrified of what his expression will show me, so I avoid it by glancing over my shoulder at our audience.

But I feel it. Like a molten-hot brand scorching the center of my spine.

I pray to God that our friends can’t see through the careless mask I quickly arrange on my face. “There,” I chirp, my smile overly bright and my voice way too cheery. “We kissed and made up. Whose turn is it now?”

__________

---