Page 81 of Searching for Nova

“You were freezing?” He glances at me. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve turned the heat on.”

“And waste all that gas? I wasn’t that cold.”

“I don’t care about the gas. You should’ve told me you were cold. Now I feel like an ass for letting you freeze to death.”

“I wasn’t freezing. I just said that so you’d…” I look out the side window, not sure if I should finish that thought.

“So I’dwhat?”

“I want to go to the apartment, but I didn’t think you would so I made up an excuse.”

“Why wouldn’t I go to the apartment?”

“Because it’s dirty and disgusting and stinks like cigarettes.”

“Nova, if you want to go there, just tell me that. You don’t have to make something up.”

“Then yeah, I want to go there. It’s rare that I have the place to myself.”

When we get to the apartment, I check to make sure Ted’s not around. There’s a chance he got in a fight with that lady and came home. He fights with everyone, which is why he doesn’t have many friends.

“Coast is clear,” I say to Easton.

He walks over to a picture on the wall. “Is that your dad?”

“Yeah, and me. I was two.”

“Do you remember taking it?”

“No, I don’t remember much before the age of five. Or maybe a little before. I remember my dad leaving me at the grocery store.”

“I can’t believe he did that. Who leaves his kid at the store and then just takes off?”

“He probably thought one of the old ladies who worked at the store would take me.”

Easton shakes his head. “I don’t get it. I don’t know how someone can do that to their own kid.”

“People do a lot worse than that,” I say, thinking of the stories I’ve heard from kids at my school. “This is a depressing topic. Let’s go in my room and talk about something else.”

Easton pauses a moment, looking hesitant. Is he afraid to be alone with me in my room? Does he thinks we’ll have sex? It’s possible, but we also could’ve done it in his Jeep. We almost did last night.

I go to my room without him, and moments later he joins me.

“How was your Spanish test?” he asks, noticing my Spanish book on the floor.

“It was okay. I got a C.” I take off my hoodie and the shirt I had under it, tossing them both on the floor.

“What’s going on?” Easton says with slight smile.

“I want a different shirt. I got cleaning solution on that one.” I shrug. “Or I could just leave it off.”

He walks over to me and kisses me. It’s a deep, intense kiss that tells me he’s been wanting to do this since he saw me at the rink. I wanted that too. I’ve been wanting to kiss him since last night when he dropped me off.

I shove up his shirt, wanting it out of my way. Easton breaks from my lips just long enough to rip off his hoodie and t-shirt, then goes back to kissing me. Maybe it’s just me, but things between us feel hotter tonight. Our clothes don’t usually come off this fast, and the way Easton is kissing me feels different, more urgent, like he can’t wait for what comes next. This could be the night we finally do it. I hope so, because I don’t think I can wait much longer.

Easton undoes my bra and I hurry to slide it off. He lowers to his knees and grips my waist as he teases my nipple with his tongue. He sucks it into his mouth as he slides my jeans and panties down my legs. I know what’s coming next, and when I feel his mouth there, my knees buckle and I struggle to remain standing. He grabs hold of my hips, holding me in place while he licks and sucks and drives me wild. I love what he’s doing, but I want to feel something else there.

I back away and he looks up at me. “What’s wrong?”

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