Page 60 of Third and Ten

“Is there really nothing you want from me?” she asks, her voice still tinged with humor.

“Oh, it’s quite the opposite,” I return, laughing incredulously. “I’m trying not to waste my one wish here.”

“I’m not a genie, you know. I’m only giving you a few more seconds to make up your mind.”

My instincts are yelling at me now, urging me to make a move. I grab one of her hands and use it to pull her in gently, and the contact sends a wave of heat throughout my body.

“I think you know exactly what I want.” I let my eyes travel down to her mouth, just to make sure she understands my intentions. “But since we’re just friends, we’d have to be careful to keep it…you know, friendly.”

“I see,” she says before she bites her lip.

I lean up, inching closer again. I can’t tell how she’s feeling: scared, anxious, annoyed?

“Tenley, I’ll stop if you want me to,” I mumble. “Just say the word.”

She shrugs one of her shoulders slightly. “A deal’s a deal, I guess.”

Hot damn, is that a yes?

Blood throbs in my ears, and I attempt to regulate my breathing as I reach out with my free hand and grasp her hip, drawing her toward me once more. She stares up at me, letting me lead her, and I remind myself that I can’t just pull her in and shove my tongue down her throat. I need to get this just right, to carefully toe the line between scaring her away and making this count.

I lean in, inch by inch, until my nose is even with hers, and her eyelids flutter closed. Then I bring my right hand up to lift her chin slightly, holding her there as I close the space between our lips as painstakingly slowly as possible, despite the electricity drawing me in.

She inhales sharply at the contact, shifting her weight into me and pressing her deliciously full bottom lip against mine. But I stay still, ignoring the heat burning me up from the inside out and allowing her a moment to acclimate. I’m desperate to make this perfect for her, and I need her fully present so she can remember every detail later.

After a few seconds, I pull away and barely brush my lips over hers, and she follows me as if I’ve activated a magnet inside each of us. I slide my hand up to cradle her cheek, holding her steady while I deepen the kiss again, urging her lips open until she yields. Then I tilt my head and gradually slip my tongue inside. She takes it in willingly, mingling it with her own.

And it’s so, so good.

She lets out an adorably gratified sigh, and I’m about to relinquish the last of my control once she clasps her hands around the back of my neck and pulls me down to her. But as soon as I think it’s safe to bring things up to normal speed, her phone rings, making her flinch and breaking the seal between us. I hold her face still, though, resting my forehead against hers while we stand there for a second longer, both of us breathing hard.

“You should probably check that,” I whisper, her lips mere centimeters away from mine, tempting me again. But I know Tenley well enough to understand that she needs space to process, and that I’m much better off leaving her wanting more. I lick my lips one more time and inhale deeply as I let her go, leaving her standing in the same position, her eyes heavy-lidded and her lips still parted.

“Sorry,” she whispers, as if it’s the best she can manage.

She’s making it nearly impossible to resist the urge to pull her back in while she’s so mouthwateringly flustered, though I’m trying to convince myself that stopping now is an investment for later. But she still looks thoroughly dazed, maybe even a little intoxicated, and knowing that I’m the one who’s done this to her is unbelievably hot.

All I can do now is hope I’ve read her correctly and delivered the kind of first kiss that will inspire plenty of repeat performances. I like my chances when I see her blink a few times, as if she’s still trying to regain consciousness, before pulling her phone out.

“It’s the hospital. I’ve got to go in,” she explains apologetically.

I nod. “Duty calls.”

“Yeah.” She slips her phone into her back pocket and brings her thumb up to her mouth demurely.

Too late to look shy now, babe. I already know that you taste like cinnamon and that your bottom lip fits perfectly against mine.

“So, um, got any more favors you need done around here?” I ask, intending to sound fun and flirty again, but my voice comes out too deep for her to miss my meaning.

The corners of her mouth turn up, and she drops her thumb. “I thought friends don’t keep tabs.”

“I guess you’re right. We are friends, after all.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Good night, Tenley,” I say, reaching out to brush a finger over her arm, just to see if I can make her squirm. It works—another good sign. “Don’t forget to have that little twerp of yours report to my house early in the morning with a clean cooler. And make sure he’s dressed for church.”

“Will do.”

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