Page 89 of Just Another Meet Cute
“Why do you think?”
Instead of answering, Ian stared at me with a hard expression on his face. Unreadable. And I thought he was going to turn away from me again. But suddenly he reached out and pulled me to face him. His hands wrapped around the top of my arms, digging into my shoulders. But it didn’t hurt. If anything, his touch made me feel a little lightheaded, like I ate too much sugar.
He let out a deep shaky breath as he said my name. “Nina.”
So softly that it was barely a whisper.
And I felt it all the way down my spine. Tugging me closer and closer, his face hovered inches over mine for a split second, and he stared at me so hard and for so long that I thought he was going to reject me again.
Not wanting to give him that chance, my hands came up behind his neck and I pulled him in for a kiss. That long-awaited kiss.
It was explosive.
And definitely worth it.
As soon as our lips touched, everything happened at once. Ian’s hands slid up to my face, holding me, angling my face a tiny bit to the left so we could fit perfectly together. So he could kiss me even deeper. Harder. His tongue traced my mouth until my lips parted and I couldn’t help letting out a soft sigh againsthis lips. Pulling back, Ian briefly smiled against my cheek before swooping in for another tingling kiss.
I could barely concentrate on anything but him. My hands ran down his shoulders and his lean muscles tensed beneath my fingertips. And now it was his turn to let out a heavy breath as he pulled me even closer. I’m not sure how it was even possible since we were pretty much plastered together by now. Nothing could get between us.
And he didn’t seem to mind. His lips slid over mine. Over and over. It was both hard and soft. Gentle and firm. And everything in between. It made my head spin even as I was rooted to him. And I didn’t care that we were just fighting. I didn’t care that we were parked in front of my house and my entire family could be watching. I didn’t care about anything as long as Ian was here with me. In this moment.
While my hands moved from his shoulders, to his neck, around his waist, Ian’s hands stayed on my face as he cupped my cheeks. Gently holding me together as though he were afraid that I would fall apart, which I probably would have.
After what felt like ages, when I thought he was going to end the kiss, Ian murmured my name against my lips. Feather soft in that way that made me want to swoon in his arms. Which I did. And the kiss went on. And on. And on.
Until finally, he pulled back.
I knew before I opened my eyes that Ian was already regretting our kiss. All of them. And it hurt that something so beautiful, so wonderful, would make him feel so bad. I already knew that I would be dreaming about these kisses for a while.
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry again or I’m going to have to kick your ass,”I announced before he was even able to pull completely away. “You can’t say that was a mistake.”
Ian let out a reluctant chuckle and for a second, I thought he was going to pull me back into his arms. But no such luck. “Of course I want to kiss you; I want to kiss you more this very moment. I would be crazynotto want to kiss you. But we can’t.”
I swallowed at the lump in my throat. “Because of Ryan?”
“Yes. I told you before that I would never hurt him. I can’t. He’s my brother.” Ian rubbed his forehead between his fingertips. “And you’re dating him. But even if you weren’t—if there’s only a 0.1% chance that he likes you—then we can’t be together. I can’t take that risk of him being hurt. I can’t betray him like that.”
I should have seen it coming. In my heart, I knew that he was being a good big brother. Protective as he’s always been. And in a way, that made me love him even more. So much more.
And in a way, he was right. It wasn’t right to betray Ryan like this. He didn’t deserve any of this. As amazing as this kiss was, it was a mistake, and it probably pushed Ian away even more.
But I couldn’t help how I felt. And although I had a thousand things to apologize for, I wasn’t going to apologize for following my heart.
“The last thing I’d want to do is hurt Ryan, but I’m not his girlfriend. We’ve only gone on a handful of dates.” Frustrated with Ian and myself, I shook my head. “I’m not saying that it’s right, and Iwilltalk to him, but how I feel about him and you are two entirely separate things.”
“But you were with Ryan first.”
“And I met you first. But none of that matters.” My eyes narrowed. “It’s not like you guys can call dibs on me. I have a right to my feelings, too.”
“I know, but—” Ian ran a shaky hand through his hair and tugged on the top strands. “We just can’t, okay? I think we should—”
“Forget this happened?” I let out an empty laugh. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”
Turning his head to face the window, he leaned his forehead against the glass. I could see the reflection of his narrow chin. His lips were pursed together so tightly that no words could come out. Our time together was up.
Even so, knowing now that all the problems in my family, between my parents and Aunt Sarah, were all because they kept secrets from each other, I knew that I couldn’t leave without telling Ian how I felt. At least one last time.
Letting out a deep breath for courage, I looked straight at him, almost memorizing his face. “You know, I thought I had been in love before, but it turns out that I never was. Because it’s nothing compared to how I feel about you now. Even though I know you’re the one walking away from me. Fromthis.”
