Page 56 of The Naughty List

“Classy.” I nudge Sadie, who responds with a nervous giggle.

We wait patiently as the contest begins. The first two couples both go for a chaste kiss, no tongue, just holding their lips together as the crowd cheers. The third couple gets a little more into it; he dips her, but it’s still pretty tame. The fourth couple though…they will be our competition. Their kiss is intense. The crowd erupts into a raucous roar as the man slides one hand up the woman’s back to her neck. But still, it’s nothing like what I’ve imagined doing to Sadie for the past two years.

Finally, it’s our turn. She looks up at me as the plant dangles over our head. I reach out and grab her waist, pulling her against me with one hand, the other tangling in her hair so I can tilt her head back as my lips descend on hers.

I don’t waste time. We only have seconds, and if this is the only chance I’ll ever get to taste her sweet lips, I’m going to make it one to remember. The second her lips part, I take the chance to slip my tongue inside her mouth, my hand sliding down to grab a healthy handful of her ass. The crowd’s excitement escalates.

“Three…two…” the DJ counts down.

He shouts “One!” and I step back, breaking the kiss, but I haven’t had my fill. My chest heaves, and I try to catch my breath as the lust burning in Sadie’s eyes sears me down to the bone. I don’t think either of us is fully aware we’re still standing on stage in a room full of people. All we can focus on is each other.

We simultaneously move back toward one another, our lips and tongues locking together once more as I walk her backward until her back hits the pillar at the edge of the stage. I barely register the crowd screaming as I tilt my head, deepening the kiss. My hands find hers and I tangle our fingers together before sliding them up her body and over her head to pin them to the pillar.

This isn’t a performance. It isn’t to win a stupid t-shirt and gift card. This is pure, unbridled lust I’ve kept pent up for so long, and now that I’ve tasted her…now that I’ve felt her body against mine—begging to be taken—there’s no going back.

“I think we have a winner, ladies and gentlemen!”

The DJ sounds an airhorn, bringing me back to the present. I release her hands and cup her face while we both try to catch our breath. Her cheeks are red, lips swollen, eyes heavy.

“Are you okay?” I ask, and she nods. “Good, because I’m not sorry I got a little carried away.” I drag my thumb over her bottom lip.

“That was going easy on me?” she finally asks, shooting me a sexy little smirk.

I wrap my arm around her, and she rests her hand against my stomach as the DJ announces us the winners.

“Trust me.” I smile to her friends who are watching us and swooning. “That was absolutely taking it easy on you.”

7

SADIE

Alex’s hand burns against the exposed flesh of my back as we stand on the stage.

My lips are still tingling from his kiss.

The taste of the beer he was drinking continues to linger from when he took ownership of my mouth and made my mind spin out on all the other things he could do with that tongue.

I feel drunk on lust and my cheeks hurt from smiling. He grabs my hand and hoists it above our heads in a triumphant pose as the DJ approaches us with our reward.

“That was hoooooot!” Caleb fans himself as we approach our table. “You sure you two haven’t done that before?”

“Uh, no. I’ve been in a committed relationship, remember?” I reach for a glass of water and chug it. Glancing at Alex out of the corner of my eye, I see his smile falter as his eyes dart to me then back to Caleb.

“I feel a little bad, actually. I got caught up in the moment. I didn’t mean to take over your night with your friends.”

“You didn’t, it’s okay. It was kind of fun to win something for once.”

He casually bumps his shoulder against mine like we’re old friends who share hidden stories and inside jokes.

“Well thanks again, and thanks for the holiday plans. I probably should get going though. Did you have a plan for getting to your parents, or…?”

My friends look at each other then back to me, confused.

“Um, kind of,” I say, pulling him off to the side where we can speak in private. “I always drive out there pretty early on Christmas Day so I can spend the full day with them.”

“Okay, let’s plan on me picking you up Christmas morning at seven?”

Butterflies dance through my stomach. I’m still unsure about spending Christmas with him, but I give him a smile anyway. “Sounds like a plan.”

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