Page 5 of Facing the Line

She kisses me back like I’m the air she needs to breathe. Shifting, she straddles me, never breaking contact. She threads her tongue with mine, deepening the kiss, and I can’t hold back the moan in my throat. It’s ungentlemanly, and I don’t care.

Time stops as I lose myself in her. Her sweet scent surrounds me, and her body is the best weight on top of mine. I slide my hands from her face, down her back, and cup her ass. It vibrates.

Vibrates? Is her butt supposed to buzz like that?

Dazed, she pulls away, her lips swollen and her eyes glazed. Her hand goes to her back pocket, and she fishes her phone out. Staring at the screen, she winces.

“I should take this.” Hopping off my lap, she leaves me cold and turns to the firepit.

“Yeah,” she says to whomever is calling. “I lost track of time.”

Spinning, she gives me a once-over and smiles at this line, and a streak of pride fills my chest. Yeah, she did.

Listening, she stares at the ground. “Okay, I understand. I’ll see you soon.”

After she hangs up, she makes a sad mue of disappointment. “Sorry, Romeo, I’ve gotta run.”

“Wait!” I leap off the loveseat, panicking. “At least give me your name. Your number.”

But she shakes her head, a wicked grin on her pretty face. She backs up, heading towards the exit but not taking her eyes off me.

“Maybe I’ll see you around campus.”

“Cinderella at least left a shoe!” I shout as she waves and pushes the door open.

But either she doesn’t hear me or doesn’t care. Because she’s gone.

Chapter

One

August 2022

JONAS

Emma: Haha, you have to go to school today.

Jonas: Don’t rub it in! When do you start again?

Emma: Not for another two weeks. Aren’t you jealous?

Jonas: So jealous, little sis. You’ll have to send me a picture on your first day.

Emma: You know Mom will make me take one.

Jonas: She always does.

My breath catches in my throat at a flash of blonde hair. Is it her? I’ve been looking for Cinderella since the National Championship game.

Breaking into a jog, I hike my backpack higher on my shoulder and weave through the crush of students on the path. Surrounded by a crowd in the engineering mall, it’s not easy to dodge obstacles, but her blonde waves are like a beacon, drawing me in.

Finally, I get close enough to touch her arm. She spins on her heel, blonde hair flying?—

And my mouth gapes open, my heart thudding in my chest. It’s not the right girl. What now?

“What do you want?” she asks, which is a fair question, because I accosted a stranger I definitely don’t know. My cheeks heat.

“Um, sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

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