Page 94 of Alive At Night

ten years ago

Today, I walked into practice pissed at Kennedy for yet another reason. I stewed about him and Juniper all last night. I kept replaying the conversation I’d had with her, over and over again, until I was damn near ready to drive over to Kennedy’s house at midnight.

Fuck him for creating another reason for Juniper to hate me, and fuck him for hurting her.

I brushed by the asshole himself while leaving the locker room, making sure to shoulder-check him the way he always did to me.

“What’s your problem?” he grunted at my back as I kept walking away from him.

“You’re my problem,” I muttered, but I knew he wouldn’t hear it.

Apparently, though, Kennedy really wanted to hear what I had to say about him, jogging after me until we were making our way across the field, and he was nipping at my heels.

“Not gonna turn around and fucking face me?” he called at my back.

I was the baby? When he’d been pissing and moaning all season long?

When he spoke again, he’d dropped his voice. “It’s about Juniper, isn’t it?”

I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned to face him. A few drops of rain splattered to the ground between us, and I hoped the skies opened up so I could watch Kennedy act like a baby about that, too.

“I’m not talking to you about her,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Kennedy’s expression reeked of exasperation. “She came crying to you, huh? Careful, Briggs. Your jealousy is showing. Your sister might not realize how badly you want my girlfriend, but I sure do.”

Losing it a little, I took an intimidating step closer to Kennedy, satisfied when he quickly took a step back.

“She’s not your fucking girlfriend,” I reminded him. “Not anymore.”

That was the one good thing to come from him being a cheating asshole.

CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO

julian

IT ONLY TOOK ONE brush of Juniper’s lips against mine to know that this kiss would haunt me forever.

Considering how close I’d been to kissing her on the dance floor, I should have predicted this. Ihadpredicted it in a way. It was why I’d asked Grayson if Juniper could stay with Nessa; my self-restraint was so fucking weak that I barely trusted myself around her.

But what Ihadn’tpredicted?

Juniper saying all the things she’d just said. Juniper kissing me like this.

Fuck, her lips were heavenly. They swept over mine once, twice, waiting for my reaction. Waiting to see if I would push her away.

As if I could ever.

If she was going to offer up her mouth for me, I was going to fucking take it.

I gripped her chin between my fingers, holding her there to ensure I could kiss her back and kiss her good. Juniper’s breath hitched when my mouth moved over hers. I traced the seam of her lips with the tip of my tongue, back and forth, until she opened for me. And when she did, that was all it took for me to lose it.

With a moan, I crushed my lips to hers, needing to kiss her deeply and soundly. She deserved a kiss like that. She deserved all the kisses, but this was the only one I could give, so I was going to do it well.

Juni kissed me back just as aggressively, throwing one arm around my neck while the other stayed tucked between us to hold up her dress. She tangled her fingers in my hair while her tongue played with mine, flicking into my mouth and driving me wild.

Of all the times I’d imagined what it would be like to kiss Juniper St. James, I never conjured upthis.

“God, Juni,” I groaned before diving back in.

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