Page 16 of The Order of Disorder
Almost immediately, a soft tingling sensation spreads out from my center, like a pleasant fizz beneath my skin. My shoulders loosen. My jaw unclenches. For the first time all night, I don’t feel like I’m vibrating out of my own skin.
Rox takes another hit and then passes it to Peach, who giggles through her inhale and hands it to Billy.
He takes a drag, then holds it out and eyes it a little longer.
“What is this?” he asks, brow raised.
“It’s got a little dust in the wrap,” Rox says with a glittering smile.
Billy grins and takes another long hit. “Shit, Rox. You’re full of surprises.”
The joint keeps moving—to Rox, to Peach, back around, I can’t keep track of it. The room softens at the edges. Lights blur, voices slow. Like everything’s underwater.
I feel floaty. Heat spreads through my limbs, syrup-thick and sweet, and the tight coil in my chest begins to unwind.
Rox leans over me to say something to Billy, her voice a sugar-spun whisper, and the sound of it sends a delicious shiver up my spine—like the sound waves themselves are tangible.
For the first time in days, maybe weeks, the noise around me doesn’t feel like it’s crawling across my skin. It feels good. Like I could let go.
I exhale and lean back, letting my head rest against the couch. My limbs feel so loose, like I’ve sunk into warm water. My thighs press together, just a little, as a slow throb blooms low in my belly, unexpected and impossible to ignore.
“Feel better?” Rox murmurs, leaning in beside me.
I turn my head toward her. Beautiful green eyes. A smattering of freckles across her nose. Full lips curved in a small, intimate smile. And for the first time in as long as I can remember, I smile too.
“You’re beautiful,” she says, low and husky.
I can’t speak. But I think:So are you.
I think I lick my lips. Her nose brushes along my jaw, her lips grazing my cheek.
The touch is feather-soft but electric. I feel it in my teeth. My spine. My thighs tense, the ache between them deepening with every breath.
She pulls back a fraction. Our eyes meet again.
And then—she kisses me.
Just a gentle brush of her lips on mine, slow and soft and sure.
Her mouth is so gentle. No urgency. No stubble scraping my skin. Just curious, warm pressure—an exploration.
The kiss deepens by degrees. She tilts her head, presses in, and my mouth parts without thinking. Her tongue glides against mine, soft and slow.
My hand drifts to her thigh, fingers tracing the smooth skin. My pulse flutters under my skin. I want more. I want everything. She moans softly into the kiss, and the sound ripples through me—pleasure, oblivion…need.
The heat in my belly spreads down my thighs, into my fingertips. Every brush of her lips feeds it.
Somewhere to my left, Peach giggles. There’s a wet sound, soft and rhythmic, and I’m vaguely aware of her leg straddling Billy’s lap, pressing against mine.
They feel far away.
All I can focus on is Rox. Her mouth on mine, her body edging closer, her hand sliding up my ribcage, finding my breast.
My whole body stills. Not in fear, but in wonder.
Her palm is warm, fingers curving around the swell of my breast. My lips part against hers again. A quiet sound escapes me, almost a whimper, but it doesn’t feel like it came from me. It feels like it came from somewhere deeper. Somewhere buried.
She kisses down the curve of my neck, her breath catching in the hollow of my throat, and I sink back farther, legs and hips loose. She moves over me, lips brushing over my chest, downbetween my breasts. I arch and inhale, pleasure sparking from her touch, rippling outward.
