Page 32 of The First Play

His scoff was sharp with bitterness. “Dad wants my entire life to be about football and nothing else! He won’t shut up about college ball and how important it is. It’s like he has no faith in me but then expects me to be the best quarterback in the country. Brighton is interested, and so is Kelsey U. Sure, we still haven’t had any offers from the other colleges yet, but I’ve got this! I’ll be signing with Brighton as soon as they confirm their offer. I don’t actuallywantanywhere else, but Dad seems to think of this as some kind of failure. Like if I’m not being approached by multiple schools, then I’m not working hard enough. But I’m choosing Brighton.” He looked at me then, an intense kind of stare before turning back to the road and whispering, “It has to be Brighton.”

He raged for a while longer, and I sat there quietly and let him get it all out.

Once he’d simmered down, I wasn’t sure what to say, so I pumped Taylor Swift and started belting out the lyrics… and after only two songs, he joined me for the course of “Shake It Off.” Epic.

By the time he dropped me home, we were back to laughter and smiles.

I kissed him deeply and promised him more where that came from.

Which is exactly what I’m doing right now.

Everyone at school knows we’re a couple, and thankfully, Olivia and her neighbor, Rick, are going through a “back on again” phase, so they invited us out on a double date. To the drive-in movies.

I didn’t even know these existed anymore, but we drove about an hour out of Everett to this cool field Olivia had seen on Insta, and here we are, like two couples from the 1950s, making out in our cars while a movie plays on the outdoor screen.

At first I didn’t get why Rick wanted to take two cars. It’s not much of a double date if we’re not hanging out together, right? But from the sounds coming from next door… and the steam fogging up the windows… I get it now.

And I kinda don’t mind, because Zander and I are having a great time fogging up our own windows.

His tongue glides against mine, his strong hands roaming my back. I’m wearing his letterman jacket, because I feel naked without it now. I’ve been walking the halls with that thing swamping me for over a month, and I love it.

About ten minutes ago, he wiggled his fingers beneath it so he could explore my back. I’m glad I’m wearing a fitted shirt, as it makes it easier to feel him. My moan is soft and impossible to hide.

He smiles against my lips, then pulls me onto his lap so I’m straddling him in the passenger seat. I really like the way he feels beneath me. I love being this close to him, and my body is already aching for more. This fire inside me seems to spark a little brighter and hotter every time we make out.

I can’t deny this growing sense of wanting more, but I also feel like I’m not quite ready for it. My brain and my heart are at war as Zander’s hands keep roaming, gliding down and palming my ass, pushing me against him so I can feel the hard ridge in his pants.

With a soft gasp, I pull back, my chest heaving as I stare down at him.

“My body’s on fire,” I admit.

“Mine too.” His voice is that husky rasp that sends delicious shivers through my belly. I love his voice, his eyes, his smile, his lips.

I gaze at him in the dim light, drinking in his beautiful face?—

“Ahhhh.” A moan from Rick’s car makes my head spin. I glance across and notice it kind of rocking, then spot this gyrating shadow in the passenger seat and?—

“Are they doing it?” My eyes bulge.

Zander cranes his neck to take a look and then snickers. “It appears so.”

“At the drive-in?” I whisper. “They’re actually having sex.”

His hands rest on my thighs as a wave of heat crashes through me.

“What if someone walks past their window or something? I mean… I can practically see them doing it.”

Cupping my cheek, Zander turns me back to face him. “Don’t look. Just focus on me.”

I smile, my insides melting as I study his gorgeous face, then run my fingers into his hair. He closes his eyes with a groan, and I give his scalp a massage, nerves firing through me as I work up the courage to ask… “Have you ever done it before?”

His eyes pop open and he stares up at me, licking his lips before shaking his head. “No. You?”

“No.” I laugh out the words, because isn’t it so freaking obvious?

I feel so clueless on this whole sex thing.

I mean, I guess I know the scientific logistics of it. He puts his thing in my thing, and apparently it feels good.

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