Page 9 of Like An Animal
“You’re not as scary as you think you are.” I slip off my heels and he watches the move carefully as if he’s trying to figure out what I’m doing. “I think I might have lost my best friend tonight and it’s all your fault,” I admit, a frown pulling at my lips.
“Why is that my fault?”
I tilt my head to the side, something that he usually does. “Because she wants you and I told her that she can’t have you.”
His eyes widen before they narrow. “Why did you do that?”
I shrug before letting out a deep breath. “I thought I was being protective, but she thinks I want you for myself. I don’t think I do, but now my head is all kinds of confused.” I pout as I look up at him and into those deep, dark eyes. “Do you think I want you?”
He smirks. “It would explain a lot.”
An idea pops into my head and it feels wrong and stupid, but one thing about being drunk is everything I think comes flying out before I can rethink it. “Would you mind kissing me?”
I’m definitely going to regret this in the morning.
“You want me to kiss you?” he presses as his fingers move into my hair.
“Just so I can see if I feel anything. It’s an experiment.” My words slur, but I’m not sure if he notices. I think he might be pretty drunk, too.
“An experiment to see if you like kissing me?” he presses and I slowly nod.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything. Just a quick kiss. You’ve kissed girls before, right?”
It would be weird if he hadn’t. Jer is two years older than me and I’ve kissed a few boys before. He never went through a girl-crazy phase though.
“Yup.”
“So, it shouldn’t be a big deal. Just a kiss.”
“Just. A. Kiss.” he murmurs, his words mixing together, and I nod.
Then, his mouth is on mine and I feel everything. My heart races and my head spins. I’m pretty certain that neither of those things are from the alcohol. I moan as his tongue runs along mine and I find myself grabbing him and pulling him on top of me. His hands roam all over me and I know immediately that I’m completely fucking screwed.
It takes every last ounce of self-control I’m clinging to to push him back. Our lips and tongue unfuse from each other as we both let out loud gasps.
“Experiment… over.” My breathing is ragged and his pupils are blown so wide that his eyes have shifted from brown to black and his gaze drops. Where his hands are… they aren’t supposed to be. We were seconds away from doing something really bad,something that we wouldn’t be able to take back. A kiss can be brushed off as a drunken mistake, but if I hadn’t stopped what we were doing…
“I need… a shower,” he grunts as he pushes himself away, rushing for the bathroom.
I could use a cold shower, too.
I guess Missy wasn’t completely wrong. Somewhere deep down, there’s something dark and unnatural that takes over where Jeremy is involved.
I stand up from the bed and grab my pajamas from the drawer before changing, but once I finish, I walk out of the room. I need a few to cool off away from the room filled with teenage hormones.
That has to be it, right? Hormones.
I haven’t been kissed or touched in a long time, way longer than I had been used to. That’s all it is. Point blank period.
I walk down the stairs and head straight for the kitchen to get some water. Walking in through the doorway, I stop when I see Kathy sitting at the table with a mug of steaming tea.
“Hey, Bronwyn. Did you have fun?” She gives me that sweet smile I always thought was a caring maternal figure peaking through, but I now know is just a facade.
She’s not a mother. She’s a snake in the grass.
I’ve managed to avoid her the past two weeks by pretending I don’t feel well when she’s around her. Now, there’s no avoiding it.
“I just need some water.”
