Page 20 of Still Here Without You

I frown, because nope, I’m definitely not letting her back her way out of this one. She tries to jump down again, but I hold firm.

“I have a question,” I say while securing her gaze with mine. She stops flailing about and nods. “If I kiss you again, is it going to be one-sided?”

Delilah’s eyes widen in surprise before she recovers and shakes her head.Fuck yes! I slam my lips back to hers before spinning around and pushing her up against the wall, softly grinding against her. Somewhere deep in the back of my mind, I know we should move locations, but I can’t seem to bring myself to do it. Delilah makes a small sound that can only be described as mewling, and I’m done for. This time around, her entire body comes alive with our kiss, and I want nothing more than to live in this moment. Her legs grip tighter around my waist, her hands move up through my hair, and she’s ever so slightly rocking up and down. When I groan involuntarily, it pulls me from my stupor seconds before I lose control.

Pulling back, I catch my breath, staring at Delilah as her chest rises and falls in sync with mine. Her face scrunches adorably in confusion, and I can’t help the small laugh it brings out of me.

“The last thing I want to do is stop kissing you, but I’m not sure staying here is a good idea.”

I watch as a few emotions play out on her face before she realizes where we are. “Oh, fuck! You’re right,” she blurts, dropping her feet to the ground. “My coach will be leaving soon, and I donotwant to be here when she walks out.”

She grabs my hand, curling our fingers together, and power walks to the exit. As soon as we’re outside in the cool night air, we both sober from our intense high and burst out laughing. The reality of what just transpired sinks in.

“Did that really happen?” Delilah asks, staring out into the night sky.

“You better believe it,” I say, squeezing her hand as I turn to face her. “I don’t know about you, but I very much enjoyed it.”

Delilah laughs, bumping her shoulder into my forearm. “You’re not a bad kisser, Joelle. But…we annoy each other to death on a good day, so what are we doing here?”

She’s right; she drives me crazy. But fuck if I’m going to pretend I don’t want to kiss her again. So instead, I offer her an answer she’s definitelynotexpecting.

“Frenemies with benefits?” I say, bouncing my eyebrows and squeezing her hand again.

Delilah’s face lights up, and she laughs so hard, I fear she thinks I’m joking. That is until she holds out her other hand for a handshake and says, “Deal.”

Hell yes!

Chapter Eight

Delilah

Idon’tknowwhatI’m getting myself into, but there’s no chance in hell I’m moving on without experiencing more of what Joel has to offer. That kiss. Fuck, that kiss was amazing. And despite the fact that I often want to wring his neck, I can’t turn down more.

Caught up in the moment—let’s blame hormones—I shake Joel’s hand and lead him to Rachel’s car. “Where’re we going, dear Delilah?” Joel asks, already morphing back into his annoying self.Lucky he’s hot.

“My place, your place. I don’t care. But I need more,” I say and then bite my lip, not quite believing those words came out of my mouth.

Joel curses under his breath and then takes off in a slight jog toward the passenger seat. “Let’s move then,” he says, and I burst out laughing again.

The drive to Joel’s is quiet, but the second we’re out of the car, it’s on. I leap into his arms again and mold my mouth to his, eliciting a moan from us both. Joel’s powerful arms hold me, little effort needed, as he blindly walks us toward the front door. “Fuck, Del. I need you. Now,” he rasps, pressing me against the wall while he grinds into me, kissing his way down my neck. Using the wall to prop me up, he twists around while he rummages in his pocket before producing a key. Keeping his focus on making me melt, he clumsily attempts to shove the key into the lock several times before I push back and drop my feet to the floor, stepping away. “Focus,” I breathe out. “Key, door, inside, bed.”

“Bed?”

“Yes, bed. Now, go!”

Joel finally unlocks the door and pulls me inside, not even bothering to lock it behind him. He throws the keys toward the kitchen counter on his way past but misses completely, ignoring them as they crash to the floor.

“Ah…”

“Don’t care. The only thing that concerns me right now is getting you naked.”

“Is that right?” I tease as I follow behind him, just as desperate for this as he is.

“That’s right.”

We stop in front of a closed door, and Joel turns to me with a serious expression. “Once we step into this room, it’s just us. In this moment. You can overthink our relationship in the morning. Deal?”

I consider his words and nod. “I can do that. But know this, Joelle. This is a one-off, so you better do everything in your power to make it unforgettable.”

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