Page 76 of Catch Me If You Can

I throw an arm around his shoulder. “Would you rather stay home and listen to me getting railed by that dude over there?” I nod toward Nathaniel.

Tony’s eyes go wide as he follows my gaze.

“Wait…you’rethe bottom?”

I laugh. “I damn well hope so. But I’m not opposed to switching.”

He cringes and pulls away. “Ugh, okay, I’m out.” He hands me my leather sports jacket, and I nod in thanks.

He points at Richard. “You better lock up your dog and your girlfriend tonight. I don’t want to wake up to either licking my face.”

I shake my head at his dumb joke and make my way to the edge of the party. The music pulses from the nearby speaker. People sway and laugh, but I only have one thing on my mind:

Find him. Take him home. Finish what we started.

“That was amazing!” Sarah’s voice cuts through the crowd as she throws her arms around me.

“Thanks, beautiful.” I hug her tight, my eyes darting behind her.

There he is. Nathaniel stands beside Theo. Theo leans in to whisper something, and I try not to notice his hand resting on Nathaniel’s lower back.

“Sarah, the guys are heading out. Wanna introduce me to that Dating App Creator you know?” Theo says, nudging her.

“Oh right! She’s around here somewhere.” She glances around.

I roll my eyes. Nathaniel and I exchange a glance and share a smile. We’re thinking the exact same thing. Enough chatting, more lips smackin’. Or, at least that’s what I’m thinking.

“Night, you two. I’ll message you later… or maybe tomorrow.” Sarah winks before linking arms with Theo and walking off.

Nathaniel and I step closer until only inches separate us.

“Looks like you just lost your ride home,” I tease, my eyes drawn to his lips. I want to kiss them again, but I’m not sure how he feels about PDA.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. You don’t mind giving me a ride…” His voice trails into a shy smile.

This guy will be the death of me.

I bite my lip. “I’ll never mind. I can’t get you home fast enough. Let’s go.” I tug on his arm, heading toward the exit.

“Wait.” He stops.

“What’s wrong?” My stomach twists. Is he backing out? Has he changed his mind?

Before I can take another breath, he closes the gap and kisses me.

Right there. In front of everyone.

His warm lips move over mine, slow and sure, and I melt into him. I pull him closer, nearly moaning into his mouth.

“Woah,” I whisper when we finally pull apart.

Now that we’ve crossed this line, I never want to stop.

“I wanted you to know,” he says. “There’s no running from my end. I want this.”

His jaw tightens as he nudges me toward the door.

I stumble, stunned. He’s not mad—he just doesn’t want me to leave again.

---