Page 13 of Never Gonna Lie
“Shit, sorry,” comes the reply of a voice I know well.
Hands on hips, I reply, “Since when do you smoke, James Smith?”
He steps toward me, slow and deliberate, almost like a predator stalking his prey. A shiver works its way down my spine, my nipples pebble, and my panties grow damp with need.
“Since always. You’ve just never seen it,” he says, looking at me intently. “Why are you out here, pretty girl?”
“I-I came to check on you. To see if you were okay?” I take a step closer. “You stormed off like I’d upset you.” I cock my head to the side as I gaze at him.
James chuckles, putting his hands in his pockets ashetakes a step closer. “You worried about me, Raven?”
“Hmm,” I hum in acknowledgment. My body’s on autopilot as I take another step toward him.
“You shouldn’t be worrying about me,” he whispers, his gaze dark, lustful.
“No?” I ask. “And why ever not? Someone has to make sure you keep out of trouble.”
He huffs out a laugh, moving forward and eliminating some of the distance between us. “I’m sure you’ve got better things to worry about than an old man like me, pretty girl.”
“Old man? Absolutely not. Pretty boy? Most definitely,” I tease, my wayward mouth running away from me as I whisper, “I’ll never not worry about you.”
His eyes dart to my mouth before forcing his gaze back up. “Dance with me?” he asks, his tone low and hand outstretched.
The opening notes to Teddy Swim’sGuiltystarts playing as we take the last couple of steps toward each other, my hand reaching out to meet his. There’s no way I would ever be able to turn him down.
He places his arms around my waist as I slide my hands up his arms, entwining them behind his head. We’re standing so close I can feel his breath on my face, hot and smoky. We sway gently to the music, caught in each other’s web as the world around us ceases to exist. His thumb rubs against the bare skin on show, and I shiver at his touch.
“You look beautiful,” he whispers, almost like he knows he shouldn’t have said it but couldn’t stop himself.
“Thank you,” I breathe out, completely spellbound.
His hand comes to my chin, gripping it firmly and tilting my head just a fraction. He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip, watching the movement. I’m pretty sure I stopped breathing a while back, too lost in what’s happening to care about anything else. Our faces are inches apart, breaths mingling as our lips nearly touch.
Without a thought for what I’m doing, I close the distance between us, lifting onto the balls of my feet and pressing my lips against his.
I feel like fireworks are igniting behind me at the soft pressure of his lips grazing against mine. He groans, and I tentatively widen my lips, allowing his tongue to slip through. Moving my hands down, I grip his arms before he tugs me closer, deepening the kiss. Our tongues brushagainst each other in a rhythm that feels like we’ve been doing it for years, like this was always meant to be.
My body’s on fire, my clit pulsing in time to the beating of my heart as my brain turns to mush. The air from my lungs is stolen as I kiss him with everything I have. James’s grip on my waist tightens, not hard enough to bruise but hard enough to bring me back to the moment, to the fact I’m kissingJames freaking Smith.
Without warning, he rips his mouth away, panting heavily as he places his forehead against mine. After a moment, he squeezes my hips one last time before stepping back.
“Shit,” he whispers as he runs a hand through his hair, his eyes wide in mortification, like it just hit him what happened. “Fuck!”
I bring my hand to my mouth, gently rubbing my swollen lips as the phantom tingle of him still lingers.
“Raven. I—Fuck! That shouldn’t have happened.”
I jerk my head and gape at him. “Why?” Surely he wanted it as much as I did? He kissed me back for Christ’s sake. “Did I do something wrong?” Every anxious thought about not being good enough flares to life. “I know it was my first kiss bu?—”
“The fuck?” James exclaims. He stops pacing to look at me, horror clearly written across his features. “That should never have happened and willneverhappen again,” he whisper-yells, his voice cold and hard.
Tears begin to fill my eyes, my mind spinning as my heart begins to crack. “Jame?—”
“No, Raven,” he cuts me off again. “This was a mistake.” He doesn’t even bother glancing back at me as he storms back into the party,myparty.
A sob works its way up my throat, and before I can think anymore, I hike my dress up and run for the docks.
Chapter Ten
