Page 25 of The Young & the Sinner

“It’s a surprise.” He winked, and my smile widened. Lorenzo was pretty charming when he wanted to be. I recognized quickly that he was taking me to the theater room. He opened the door to the darkened stage, and I paused in my steps, wondering if it was smart to be in this room alone with him.

Despite my crush on him, I didn’t trust Lorenzo. And just because we hung out more in the past two weeks didn’t mean I knew the kind of boy he was.

I took a deep breath and dug through my backpack for my cellphone. It was better to be careful than sorry.

He led me further into the room, telling me to watch my step as we climbed up on stage, and finally, backstage.

“What are we doing here?”

“You’ll see,” he said cryptically.

“Usually, I’m all for surprises. But not in a dark room.”

He shook in silent laughter beside me, as if I was joking.

I wasn’t.

“Oh, but I think you’ll love this.”

Then, he let go of my hand and went deeper in the room. There was a small moment of silence before the lights turned on, blinding me.

I blinked, trying to get my eyes to adjust, and when they did, I found Lorenzo standing three feet in front of me, his arms held out wide.

At first, I didn’t notice it. But when I did, several more things came into my sight of vision. I gasped and Lorenzo chuckled.

I took in the whole backstage, unable to believe my eyes. “Oh, my God. Did you do this?”

New equipment. Everywhere. Four new Rockland speakers that I knew ranged in the four figures, new ropes, a new thunder machine in the corner, and several new varieties of stage lights still in their boxes.

We’d been trying to get the school to approve the funding for new equipment for a while. No bake sales or donations from parents could have helped, considering how expensive everything was, and since the school’s main focus was on the athletic department, it meant that the art, music, and theater programs usually had to make do with what was left.

My eyes stung. I wasn’t going to be here next year, but this wasn’t about me. It was about the incoming freshman who would see all this and fall in love with theater like Lizzie and I did.

Lorenzo was still standing where I left him, a cocky smile on his face. “I might have talked to my dad about—oomph!”

I didn’t give him the chance to finish. I tackled him to the ground. He was laughing, his arms wrapped tightly around me, while I laid on top of him. This was one of the kindest gestures any boy had ever done for me. “I’m guessing you like it?”

“I love it. Thank you.”

“Believe me, it’s my pleasure.”

I didn’t think then. I closed my eyes and kissed him. Lorenzo stilled under me for half a second, before he took over the kiss, and… I couldn’t get enough. I moaned when he deepened the kiss, and I tugged on his hair when I felt his fingers digging into my back. There were no words to describe it. I had spent years imagining what it would feel like to have him kiss me, and even then, it couldn’t prepare for the reality of it.

What a wonder it was.

Lorenzo pulled away and I followed his lips, my eyes still closed. I didn’t want the kiss to end. He groaned and pressed another hard kiss against my lips. “God, Olivia. You’re driving me crazy.”

I smiled and opened my eyes. My lips felt swollen, and I licked them, wanting the taste of him back. “Good.”

He laughed, but it sounded strained. He moved a little, and when I accidentally made contact with his groin, my eyes widened in surprise. I quickly got off of him. He was hard.

I had never felt an erection before. Half of me was terrified and the other was… very, very curious.

He winced. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay. It just took me by surprise is all.” I looked away. Lorenzo cupped my cheek and turned until our eyes met. I knew I was blushing, and that he could probably feel the heat of that blush on my cheek.

I shot him a shy smile, and he gave one back. A gentle smile that did funny things to my insides. “Be mine, Olivia,” he said softly. “Whatever reason you have for not going on that date with me, please just forget it. Let me show you how good we can be together.”

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