Page 9 of Jagged Line Paradise

She goes silent.

I worry she’s gonna pull the plug on this, but then she nods intently. Curious fear and wild innocence shine bright in her green eyes.

I pull back, snatch her hand in mine, and drag her away from her mom’s trailer, running off into the darkness toward my dad’s, another fifty feet up the hill.

“Where are we going?” She laughs as she runs with me.

“My dad won’t be back for another hour. I’m taking you to my room.”

She doesn’t stop.

She doesn’t turn back.

She doesn’t run away.

She comes with me.

We’re back at my dad’s trailer in under a minute, the shittiest place in the park with its dirt- and rust-covered ivory paneling. I throw open the side door and it clangs against the fake siding, bouncing off it. I pull Lonnie inside, then grab the door and shut it behind her.

Lonnie walks past the couch toward the two bedrooms at the back and heads straight for mine, on the left. She’s been here thousands of times before, but this time is different for obvious reasons.

This time is special.

I follow behind her and shut my bedroom door as she plops down on the edge of my bed—which basically fills up all the space in my room. Her hands are pressed to the mattress on either side of her hips, elbows locked and shoulders shrugged adorably.

She looks up at me and takes a breath. “So…”

I give her a grin and cock my head to the side. “So. You wanna hang out or…” I trail off as my smile broadens.

“Can you try being a little less charming right now?” She holds her thumb and pointer finger an inch apart in front of her on the wordlittle, squinting her eyes before breaking into a gorgeous smile. “You’re making me blush.”

I grasp the hem of my hoodie and tug it off over my head. I let the black T-shirt underneath peel off along with it.

Lonnie gasps, sitting up a little straighter, pressing her palms onto her bare thighs. Her shorts are so short that they practically disappear at the crease where her legs meet her hips.

Shit, I want to get between those legs.

I move to stand in front of her and lower to my knees. She exhales and leans back, putting her palms behind her on the bed, looking nervously off toward the door. “Okay, wow. This is really happening.”

“Unless you tell me to stop, it’s happening.” I put my hands on her knees and push her legs apart.

Her words rush out. “We’re not gonna have sex. Right now. I mean, I’m not ready for your…for you to…but we can still…you know.”

“You can say it, you know. You can talk about my cock.” I smirk.

Her hands slip from beneath her and she falls back on the bed, slapping her palms against her face to cover her eyes. “Oh myGod.This is so awkward. Is it supposed to be this awkward?”

I slowly crawl over her. “For you, my virgin sunshine,yes.For me, it’s anything but awkward.” I bend and kiss her, slow and sensual, wet and wild.

Her fingers slip up the sides of my neck and dig into my thick, black hair. I groan into her mouth and she whimpers into mine. We feed each other sounds and breaths that are purely sinful until that’s all that we are.

Sounds and breaths and sunshine.

Chapter 3

Avalon

I’M ON FIRE.

---