Page 126 of The Naughty List

I smile up at him and I feel tension settling between us. His hands are still on my hips, holding me close and his blue eyes are shimmering like the ocean on a sunny day. I wet my lips, not knowing why. Only knowing that I need…something. That’s when he splashes me in the face and the moment is gone.

“Hey!” I yell, splashing him back. The war is on and everything is back to normal with us, even though those lingering feelings will never leave.

14

CARSON

It’s going on midnight before I finally give up on watching that curtain. I pull my chair back to my desk, shut off the computer, and turn off the light. I flop into bed and cover my eyes with my forearm. Sleep finds me easily, but even in my sleep, she’s there, teasing me.

“Hey, man, what are you doing back here? Didn’t you escape this small town for the big city?” my old buddy Mike asks.

I give him a high five that turns into a handshake. “Yep, officially done with my third year of college. Only one more to go,” I tell him, proudly.

“Awesome, man. So what are you doing back here? Miss the high school parties?”

I laugh. “No, not exactly. My friend was in your class. She graduated so I figured I’d come and celebrate with her. You seen Felicity anywhere?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s inside. She was in the make-out room.”

My anger flares. “Make-out room?”

“Yeah, it’s the room off the living room. The one with the blacklight and all the couches.” He smiles and nods his head once.

I walk into the house that the graduation party is being held at and go straight to the room he described. I look over every face in the room, but Felicity is nowhere to be found. I immediately start praying that she didn’t move from the make-out room to a bedroom upstairs. I turn and walk back through the living room and into the kitchen where I find her in a circle of a bunch of guys. They’re all dying for a minute of her time. Too bad they ain’t getting it tonight. Not now that I’m around.

“Hey, shorty,” I say, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the circle.

At first, anger flashes in her eyes, then she sees that it’s me and it’s replaced with a smile. “Carson?” she breathes out, pulling me in for a huge hug. The way her breasts press against my chest causes a fire to light low in my stomach.

“What are you doing here?” she asks when she pulls away and I get the full view of her. She’s wearing a tiny little skirt, a low-cut tank top, and a pair of heels that make her legs look toned and sexy as fuck. After the last party like this that I rescued her from, I’m not leaving her alone the rest of the night. This outfit would be far too easy to lose.

I shrug at her question. “Just wanted to come and celebrate with you. Congrats!”

She smiles and her green eyes light up. “Thank you. I didn’t think you’d show up. I haven’t seen you since that weekend last fall when you gave me the college tour.”

I take her hand and wrap it around my elbow, leading her out back where it’s a little more quiet. “I know, but I couldn’t miss this. Hey, what college did you end up choosing anyway?”

She frowns. “USC.”

“What? Why didn’t you choose Chicago?”

She shrugs. “I said that it depended.”

Oh yeah, I remember her saying that but I never did find out what it depended on. “What was it depending on?”

Her face flushes. “You.”

“Me?” I ask, shocked. “Why did it depend on me?”

She rolls her eyes. “You know, for a smart guy, you’re really dumb.”

I freeze. What am I missing?

“I came to your place, we kissed. I thought I made my feelings clear, but you pushed me away. So I decided instead of being constantly reminded of it, that I would move on, start fresh, far away from you and my confusing feelings for you.”

Oh…I get it. “Felicity,” I breathe out, but she just shakes her head.

“It’s fine, Carson, really. I get it. I mean, you’re older, more experienced. And I’m me. The girl who followed you around everywhere, made you watch over her. I shouldn’t expect you to feel the same about me as I feel about you.”

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