Page 58 of Flirting Lessons

“Do you really want to go inside?”

They laughed softly together.

“I don’t think so, no,” Avery said. “You?”

Taylor grinned at her.

“For me, it’s absolutely not.”

Taylor took her hand. As they walked back toward her car, Taylor remembered the whole list of reasons she’d given herself, less than an hour ago, about why absolutely nothing would or could happen between her and Avery tonight. Oh well. She could deal with all of that tomorrow.

When they got to Taylor’scar, Avery didn’t want to let go of Taylor’s hand. Which was silly, she knew it was silly, but she didn’t care. She was going to let herself be as silly as she wanted to be tonight, because she was having one of those nights where everything she did was right, and everything she touched turned to gold. She made herself release her probably too-tight grip on Taylor’s hand and got in the car. She had no idea what was going to happen after this, but she was going to let the magic continue.

Taylor settled in her seat, and without even thinking about it, Avery leaned over to kiss her. Taylor immediately kissed her back. She was as good a kisser as Avery had expected her to be—probably even better, actually. For half a second, Avery wondered whether she wasn’t good enough a kisser for someone like Taylor, but then she lost herself in the kiss. It was impossible to think about anything when Taylor Cameron kissed you other than how good it felt to kiss her, how you wanted to keep kissing her forever.

Too soon, Taylor pulled away and started the car.

“Where to?” she asked.

“Um. My place? It’s closest,” Avery said. Why was she so uncertain when she said that? Because even though she’d done a lot of things out of her comfort zone lately, this was very far out of it. Even though she wanted this.

Without a word, Taylor pulled out of the parking spot and drove toward Avery’s apartment.

Did Taylor want this, want her, just as badly? That felt impossible, until she remembered the way Taylor had looked at her when they were sitting at the bar, that tone in her voice outside of the Barrel when she’d commanded Avery to kiss her, that hunger in her touch.

She hadn’t expected this tonight. Not at the beginning of the night, and not even after her flirting midterm had gone so swimmingly. She hadn’t expected their chemistry to be so good, especially after weeks of hanging out just as friends, with occasional light flirting, but nothing like this. She’d been attracted to Taylor, and yes, had a crush on Taylor, from the very beginning, but she didn’t think that attraction would be returned, not in any real way. Even after they were sitting at the bar hand in hand, with their legs almost intertwined, she didn’t really think that Taylor was actually attracted to her. She’d figured that was just Taylor—she had chemistry with everyone, everyone fell for her, that’s why she could do things like get phone numbers wherever she went, and have every bartender fall half in love with her, and give flirting lessons, for God’s sake. Of course she could turn on flirting like a switch!

So it had been easy to just relax into flirting with Taylor, without wondering what was going to happen next. But then, after they’d left the bar and started walking toward the Barrel, something had changed. Avery had felt it happen, as they’d walked down the street together, when their hands had touched, then clung to each other’s like magnets, when they’d moved closer and closer to each other. She could feel that Taylor wanted to be there with her. Not with just someone, but with her, specifically. If she hadn’t felt that, she never would have had the courage totouch Taylor’s hair in that way, in a way that showed she wanted more.

Despite all those things, she still never would have had the courage to kiss her, not until Taylor told her to do it. She’d wanted to—good Lord, she’d wanted to—but she’d needed something to push her past her fear and uncertainty. Taylor had clearly known that. If Taylor hadn’t told her to kiss her, she wouldn’t have done it, no matter how Taylor had looked at her, touched her.

She should probably be embarrassed at how little she’d hesitated after Taylor had told her to kiss her, but she wasn’t. Not at all. All she had the capacity to feel right now was anticipation about what was going to happen when she and Taylor got back to her apartment.

Well, she was also atinybit nervous about that. What would they do? What would Taylor expect? What didshe, Avery, want? She didn’t know the answers to any of those questions.

“You’re quiet over there,” Taylor said as they stopped at a red light.

Avery smiled at her.

“Just wondering when I’ll get my grade for my midterm.”

Taylor let out her loud, joyful laugh.

“Oh, that was a solid A performance, from beginning to end, but don’t even try to pretend you didn’t know that.”

Avery let her smile become a little smug. Okay, maybe a lot.

“Obviously I knew that, but I wanted to hear you say it.”

Taylor’s hand squeezed hers.

“Then I’m glad you asked. I’m happy to shout it from the rooftops.”

As they walked up the stairs to Avery’s apartment, Taylor glanced around the outside of the building.

“It’s weird that I’ve never seen your apartment. I wonder if it’s anything like I picture it.”

Avery turned to her as she pulled her keys out of her bag.

---