Page 65 of Third and Ten

“I’m sorry. I’m just disappointed because I thought everything would be resolved after today,” she explains, her voice muffled. “And now we have to go looking for Ethan’s dad instead.”

“Hey, it’ll be okay. Like Blake said, this is all just part of the process.”

“I hope you’re right,” she answers. I don’t think she wants another verbal response, so I continue holding her and rubbing her back, expecting her to pull away any second. But she doesn’t. I wish I could revel in the fact that I finally have her in my arms, but I can’t be happy as long as she’s hurting. Instead, I settle for savoring her warmth and her floral-and-citrus scent while I can.

Eventually, she pushes back against my chest and fixes her gaze on me, her eyes looking a deeper blue than usual and her cheeks still damp. “I don’t know how to thank you for everything you said in there today.”

“I only told the judge what I already knew to be true.” Without thinking, I bring my thumbs up to gently wipe some of the moisture from her face.

“No, Ethan’s right. This means more to both of us than you know.”

I gulp as she continues staring at me with an intensity I haven’t seen from her before now.

“We’re friends. It was nothing,” I reply, my voice catching.

She shakes her head slowly. “You’ve been so much more than a friend to me, JD.”

There’s a change in her as soon as she says it, and she reaches up to cup my cheek and stroke my face gently, sending a chill all the way down. This isn’t like the other night, when I initiated the kiss and she was simply a willing participant. She steps closer and presses the full length of her body against mine, making it harder for me to breathe by the second, and her eyelashes flutter as she darts her eyes down to my mouth.

Shit, it’s really happening.

My heartbeat drums in my ears once I fully grasp her intent. She’s throwing me a line, extending an invitation out of the friend zone. Hell, she might be hauling me across the border at this point.

I hear a faint sigh when she tips her chin up slightly, closing her eyes and waiting patiently for me to meet her halfway. She’s probably assuming that it’ll be careful and composed, just like our last kiss. But Tenley is finally making a move on me, and I’m not strong enough to hold back this time.

I lean down and tilt my head to the side as I close the last bit of space between us. Our lips meet for a second before she drags her hand down my neck and interlaces it with my tie, pulling me closer and making me feel like my body is on fire. Her mouth parts eagerly, and I enthusiastically take my cue to deepen the kiss. She tastes even better than I remember, a combination of cinnamon and sweet mint. And when she slips her tongue in between my lips, it takes every ounce of restraint not to let my palms inch down to her backside.

Because, you know, that’s usually what happens next in nearly every one of my dreams over the past few months.

Instead, I bring my hands up to cradle the back of her neck as I allow myself to indulge in her, exploring her mouth and savoring her lips, lush and pliant against mine. I’m lost within seconds, kissing her like we’re all alone—until I’m reminded that we aren’t. We both jump back at the sound of a car horn blaring a few feet away.

“Son-of-a—” I spit out, turning my eyes to shoot daggers at the culprit.

And there’s Ethan, sitting in the front seat with an annoyingly huge grin, pointing to the phone he’s holding up. If looks could kill, I’d have burned a hole right through him.

“That little…” Tenley trails off once she realizes he’s filming us.

I can’t help but laugh at this point. “You know we’re just his puppets, right? He’s been orchestrating this for months.”

She throws her head back and groans, so I take advantage by pulling her in and planting a few kisses down her neck before she has the chance to straighten up.

“JD.” She giggles. “He’s still recording us!”

“Hey, you started it,” I murmur against her skin. But, sure enough, I look up from my spot beneath her right ear to see the kid wagging his eyebrows suggestively in our direction. I growl and wrap her in my arms tightly before picking her up, making her squeal as I lift her feet just high enough to spin us around. Then I use my body to block Ethan’s view of the rest of our make-out session.

She taps me on the chest after a while. “Come on. Don’t you think we ought to go?”

“No, never,” I reply, pressing my hungry mouth back to hers. This time, I let my hand skate down her fitted skirt and give her a light squeeze. A soft moan escapes her throat, nearly costing me my last bit of self-control. I’ve waited so long for this to happen that I don’t give a damn who’s watching at this point. Hell, Ethan could post a video on every one of the Camellia High School social media accounts, and I’d still show up to work later with the world’s cheesiest smile.

She pulls away again, panting. I bite my lip in an attempt to restrain myself, because knowing that I’m the reason she’s out of breath nearly does me in all over again.

“JD,” she repeats, shaking her head and blinking as if she’s lost. “We can’t stay here forever.”

I give her my best puppy-dog eyes. “I’m not leaving until you tell me this was more than just a reward for helping you today. I want a promise that I’ll get to kiss you again.”

She sighs, her eyes filled with amusement. “I promise, okay? I think…I’m tired of pretending I don’t like you. What are the chances you still want to go out with me?”

“Like, right now? Can we go somewhere else and make out some more?” I ask playfully.

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