Page 90 of The Fallacy of True Love
“He insisted we go ahead, said he owed me for covering for him before.”
“Oh.”
Now that we had an agreement, I felt extremely aware of each small contact between us. How he nestled me against his side as we walked to the curb and swept a stray strand of hair from my forehead as we waited for a jeepney to stop. It should have been harmless, far from the usual things that got me worked up. But each touch snowballed off the other, amping up the tension that coiled inside me.
We squeezed into a jeepney so packed he had to sit near the edge of the bench to leave room for my hips. The side of my boob ended up pressed against his bicep, and even though he tried to give me space, every lurch of the jeep thrust my chest toward him so he probably felt my peaked nipples through my bra. With my thighs squeezed together, the engine vibrating beneath the seat, and Alonzo’s hard body next to mine, I was way too aroused—and he hadn’t really touched me yet.
“You okay?” He raised his voice over the noise around us.
“Yep,” I answered, and he laughed like he knew that I was all worked up.
Annoyingly, he was right.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Alonzo
Was this really happening?
The question repeated in my mind through the commute to Maya’s rental. I’d never done this before—arranged to have sex. Dani was the only person I’d ever slept with. It had taken us time to find our rhythm, but she’d enjoyed sex with me.
That didn’t mean Maya would. What if I fell short of her expectations? What if I couldn’t please her?
“What’s wrong with you?”
Maya’s outburst took me out of my agonized thoughts. I blinked at her and realized we’d stopped in front of a building.
“Are you backing out on me?” she asked.
“No,” I blurted out. “Definitely not.”
“Looks like you are.”
Feeling warm under the collar, I shoved my hand in my hair. “If I look weird, it’s not because I’m second-guessing this. I’m just—” I swallowed. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”
She blinked, confusion clear in her eyes.
“I only have one chance with you. I need to get it right.”
Her face softened. Hooking her finger into my belt loop, she tugged on it lightly. “Such an achiever,” she said with a hint of affection in her voice. “You won’t know until you try.” Her full lips tilted to one side. “Don’t worry, I won’t grade you…out loud.”
The unspoken challenge spurred me into action. I cupped her neck, resting my thumb on the pulse beneath her jaw while my other fingers delved into her hair. I tipped her head up as I lowered mine, stopping just a breath away from her mouth. “Challenge accepted,” I whispered.
And then I put my lips on hers. Softly. Briefly. A tease, but also a test.
At the touch of our lips, my heart stopped, breath locking in my chest. She inhaled sharply, and electricity zipped through my veins. I kissed her again, harder. Her hand swept up my torso, nails digging into my shoulder as she deepened the kiss.
All my doubts about the magnitude of our first kiss vanished, obliterated by the utter sense of rightness that flooded me.
I placed a hand on either side of her face, tilting it so our mouths fit perfectly together. Everything else faded as I lost myself in the feel of her, the slide of her tongue along mine?—
“Get a room!” someone shouted.
Just like that first time, we broke apart in a rush. Stared at each other as we gasped for air.
“You heard what he said,” I murmured. But I didn’t move.
I wanted her to make the final call.
