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Skin against the skin.

He leaves small, closemouthed kisses down my cheek, which are more like a simple press of his mouth against my flesh. The stubble on his cheeks is scratchy against my soft cheek. Slowly his head dips until his lips are on mine.

This time it isn't like last. There is no hurry or anger or need to conquer. It’s no less intense, but it’s sweeter.

His hand stays on my cheek, holding me close to him. His mouth slowly sweeps over mine, thoroughly memorizing my lips.

I sigh beneath the light pressure of his lips, giving him just enough space to sneak his tongue in my mouth.

This time I meet him halfway, enjoying the feeling rising in me.

He shifts and pulls me to him, right onto his lap so that I’m straddling him. My eyes open in surprise and my hands grab at material covering his shoulders. Derek gives me a wicked, boyish smile before his hand finds its way to the nape of my head and he pulls me down, to meet my lips once again.

We continue kissing like that ... seconds, minutes or hours. It could have been days, weeks, or even months and I wouldn't notice. When we’re like this it is so easy to forget, to lose myself in him. We are crossing every line that was drawn between us, our worlds—a line that’s better left uncrossed—but I can’t find it in me to care. And he sure as hell doesn’t seem to. We are like two lost souls, searching to find something that’s been missing for a while.

“Lia, dinner's ready!”

Mom's howl from the downstairs breaks this tiny bubble of ours into pieces.

“Shit,” Derek groans, his head hitting the bed in distress.

I try to get off him, but in a hurry, I trip over my own feet and fall on my butt. “The door is open,” I whisper looking horrified at the door and then back at him.

“I know.”

“I was all over you on the floor in front of my bed and anybody could have come and seen!” I'm so shocked and mortified that I can't find the words to express everything going through my head.

“Don't do this.” Derek lifts his head of the bed and looks at me. “Don't do it. Nothing could have happened. We would have heard them. It wasn't that bad.”

“Wasn't that...”

“Lia!”

“Coming, Mom!” I yell back at her and then look back at him. “This is not happening again.”

“Why not?” His eyes narrow at me, and I can see the anger in the way his body stiffens.

“We can't,” I protest. “This is not right.”

“You keep on thinking that. I'll make you see it my way.” Derek stands up and takes his backpack. “Come on. Your family's waiting.”

* * *

He didn't stay for dinner.

I sigh and turn to lie on my back to look at the ceiling. It is almost 2 AM and I still can’t stop thinking about him. So instead I stare at the dim glow of the stars, hoping they’ll take me to the dreamland, but all I can do is think.

When we came back down, he apologized to Mom and told her that his family called him to come home so he couldn't stay.

Derek is such a good liar I almost believed him, and I knew for a fact that nobody called him. He was too busy tempting me into getting close to him so he could kiss me to pay attention to his cellphone.

With regret, Mom sent him home, but not before she made him promise to stay for dinner the next time he came over. And then, during the whole meal, she couldn't stop talking about him. How tall he is. How cute he is. How hardworking he is. Howpolitehe is. I almost laughed out loud on that one. There is nothing polite about Derek King. Not a polite bone in his body. And she sure wouldn't think like that if she, instead of yelling from the downstairs, climbed up to tell us to come to dinner. Or maybe she would. After all, we were talking about my mother here, so I couldn't be 100% sure.

Even after he left, he was still present here.

Following dinner, I help Mom clean everything and then return to my room. But he was there.

Well, he wasn't there, there. But his spirit was in my room. It was so not a good idea to let him inside. We should have stayed downstairs or even gone to the library. Then I wouldn't have this problem of seeing him sitting on the floor in front of my bed. Or standing in the middle of my room looking around.

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