Page 71 of We Are the Stars

I shoot off a quick text to Carsen.

Me:You dirty, dirty knob gobbler!

He responds immediately.

Carsen:Don’t take all day, princess.

Rushing around my room, I manage to strip off my old, ratty Backstreet Boys t-shirt and pull a semi-fancy flowing midnight blue quarter-sleeve top out of the closet. I slide it on and rush down the hall to the bathroom. After a quick brush of my teeth and a swab of mascara, I swiftly throw my blonde hair into a loose braid that hangs over my right shoulder. I take one last glance in the mirror and decide it’s as good as I’m going to get.

I jog back to my room, grab my purse and phone, and then slide my feet into a pair of lace ballet flats.

A mixture of voices cause me to pause at the top of the stairs.

“You look a lot like your mother.”

“You knew her?”

“Barely,” my mom answers. “We talked a few times in the early years, but then when she and Nigel drifted apart, whatever sort of acquaintanceship we had did too.”

“She followed your family through the years. She’d always tell me how beautiful you were and that it was where Elliott acquired her good looks, because they weren’t coming from Gelly. She wasn’t wrong.”

“Hey! I’m handsome as hell!” my dad argues.

My mom laughs. “I think in another life, Faith and I would have been good friends.”

“I don’t doubt that for a moment, ma’am.”

I need to move before I start crying, so I hastily—and loudly—make my way down the stairs.

“You ready?”

Carsen turns to me. I don’t miss the appreciative onceover he gives me, or the way he hurriedly tells my parents goodnight and ushers me out the door.

Once our feet hit the sidewalk, Carsen grabs my arm and nearly drags me to the tree out of eyesight of the front windows on my house.

He pushes me up against it and leans in close, runs his nose against my cheek and inhales sharply. His stubble drags across my skin and I break out in goose bumps. His entire body is pressed against mine at this point and my insides are starting to turn to liquid—or is that my panties? Either way, I’m beyond turned on right now.

“You look so. Fucking. Hot.”

“I got dressed in like five minutes.”

“And you still look this damn good? I’m going to surprise you with dates more often.”

“More often, huh? Is that you asking me to go steady?”

Carsen pulls back and his eyes light up, although I’m not sure what with. Is it trepidation? Excitement? I can’t tell the difference when it comes to him.

Instead of answering me, he smashes his lips against mine in a crushing kiss. I open to him almost instantly and he sweeps his tongue inside, exploring my mouth in a way that makes me moan and writhe against him. He crowds me against the tree even more and I can feel his hard length between us. My hands itch to reach out and grasp him, to feel him.

“God I wish you could touch me right now,” he says as if reading my mind.

I do too.

Instead, I reach down and rub him through his pants. He pushes into my touch and kisses me harder. His knee comes between my legs and I begin to ride his thigh in sync with what I’m doing to him, and holy hell does it feel amazing. We’ve done this so many times now, and I swear it gets better every time.

Carsen grips my hair and I let out a loud moan.

A car door slams in the distance and we instantly break apart. He rushes to shove his dick down, trying to hide his erection while I smooth out my shirt and hair.

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