Page 68 of Just One Kiss

She snatched the tickets out of his hand and shoved them back in her purse.

He backed away and frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t really feel like going to the movie anymore,” she said.

“What? You were so excited.”

“It’s kind of babyish, don’t you think?”

He shrugged. “It’s an ode to our childhood. I think it’s awesome.” He took her hand. “What’s wrong?”

She looked up into his eyes—ocean-colored and full of kindness—and she knew she had to ask him. She had to know, even if she didn’t like his answer. And if he lied, she would know because she always knew when he was keeping something from her.

“Do you like Belinda?”

Josh’s forehead wrinkled. “Belinda Tipton?”

“How many Belindas do we know?”

He planted himself in front of her, took her face in his hands and smiled. “You’re cute when you’re jealous.”

She swatted his hands away. “I’m serious, Josh.”

“Carly, no. I don’t like Belinda Tipton—how can you even ask me that?”

“I hear things.”

“You heard I liked her?”

She looked away. She was becoming the exact girl she did not want to be. And while she believed Josh, she also worried that maybe he didn’t even realize he was getting tired of his childish relationship with Carly.

Maybe hehadoutgrown her. He’d turned in to the kind of guy who would ride a motorcycle, while Carly would always be the girl at the library on Friday night.

Surely he saw that too.

What if Josh started thinking about Belinda—about what she’d be willing to give him—about how he really did want what she was offering?

No guy in their right mind would turn her down.

That’s what she was thinking when she left the dance. Those were the thoughts running through her mind when she told him to turn toward the old fishing cabin instead of the movie theater.

I’m going to lose him.

Up until that point, their physical relationship had been pretty tame. They kissed (a lot), but not much else. That night, everything changed.

It would’ve been easy to blame it all on Josh. Everybody would’ve believed that it was his idea to have sex. After all, wasn’t the guy usually the one instigating physicality? But Carly knew the truth. She had pushed the issue because she was afraid he would get bored with her. She was afraid she would lose him, and that thought above every other thought was what pushed her forward.

In the heat of the moment, he’d stopped, pulling himself away from her. “I need a minute.”

“What’s wrong?” she’d asked, not sure she wanted an answer.

He heaved a sigh, still working to catch his breath. “I just need to calm down.”

She pressed her hands on his bare chest and kissed his neck. “Why?”

He pushed her off of him and trained his gaze on hers. “Carly, are you sure this is what you want?”

She replied with a kiss. Then another. Then another. Fueled by the idea that this would make him stay. He would never leave her now.

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