Page 31 of Road Trip

He lifted his gaze and said, “I like you. Like that.”

And maybe this was where I should have borrowed a leaf from Jacob’s book and actually stopped and thought about my actions before taking them, but fuck that. The sun was so close, if only I could fly a little higher, I might be able to touch it.

So I stepped forward and kissed him.

“Dude,” Jacob said, his breath warm against my mouth. “No wonder you’re single.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you fuckingstink.”

He laughed silently, his body shaking, holding me by the hips to stop me from pulling away. “I’m just saying, that was a terrible kiss.”

It might not even have been a kiss, just a kind of a wet smearof our mouths. “Yeah, well, the only other person who’s kissed me is my mom.”

“Ew! You made it weird, dude!” But Jacob was still laughing as he said it. His expression softened. “Was that really your first kiss?”

I shrugged. “This may come as a shock to you, but I’m kind of an asshole. People aren’t lining up to make out with me.”

His mouth twisted like he felt sorry for me or something, and the hand on my hip squeezed me briefly before he pasted a smile on his face and said, “Well, I’m a great kisser. I can teach you.”

“After you shower. You stink,” I said again, jutting my chin out. Maybe I was giving him a chance to back down. Maybe I was giving myself a chance to do the same. I didn’t know what the hell was going on.

“It’s not that bad,” Jacob said, lifting one arm. Then he slammed it back down, his face twisted up. “Okay, yeah, gross. I’m definitely gonna shower. And then I’ll show you how to kiss and make it good.”

“Yeah?” I’d meant for that to come out as a challenge, but instead it came out all breathy and hopeful.

“Yeah,” he said. He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, soft and slow. It was the barest of kisses, but when he pulled back, he exhaled slowly and licked his lips. His eyes were half-closed, his expression dazed, and I knew then that he had no intention of backing out.

I shoved at his chest. “Go shower.”

He blinked. “Yeah. I should—” He gestured toward the bathroom and ducked inside. The door shut with a soft click, leaving me free to freak the fuck out.

What the hell was going on here? Usually when I started spiraling, it was Jacob who talked me down. But when Jacob was thereason? Who was I supposed to rely on now?Me? Because I knew me, and that guy was fucking useless.

I took a deep breath. I didn’t even know why I was freakingout. I mean, this was a dream come true, right? Everything my little gay heart had ever wanted. Jacob was—well, he wasn’t straight—and he was into me. I should be doing cartwheels around the room. Obviously I wasn’t gonna, because no way was I touching the carpet in a two-star motel, but the principle was the same. So why wasn’t I?

Was it because I didn’t want to ruin our friendship? But then hadn’t I already done that when I’d decided to move to California? So why not do this? Why not touch the sun?

The water shut off in the bathroom, and I told myself to get it together. Jacob wanted this. I wanted this. And this was probably the last chance we’d get to explore our feelings. I sat on the edge of the bed with the towel wrapped around my waist and leaned back, doing my best to look relaxed and casual.Oh, you wanna kiss and maybe touch dicks? Sure thing. No big.

The bathroom door eased open.

“Did you put your dirty clothes with mine?” Jacob asked, hitching up his threadbare sleep pants as he stepped back into the room.

That was what he was thinking about in there? The laundry?

“Uh,” I said, because I was smooth like that. To be fair, Jacob was shirtless, his skin still damp, and it kind of made all my brain cells shut down. And I could look. I didn’t have to sneak glances because Jacob knew I liked him that way.

Sure, I might not have said it out loud, but I’d kissed him. And it had been terrible, but he hadn’t pushed me away or anything. He’d done the opposite and offered to show me how to kiss properly.

Jacob Mercer wasintome, or at least into whatever the hell was going on with us right now.

“I don’t care about the laundry,” I said, suddenly bold. “Get over here.”

Jacob bit his bottom lip as he sat next to me on the bed, and it hit me that he didn’t care about the laundry either. He was just nervous and trying not to show it. We were each as bad as theother, and somehow knowing that had me breathing more easily.

I reached out and pushed his damp blond hair away from his face. He leaned into the touch, and the heat of his skin against my palm sent a thrill running through me. “So, kissing,” I said.

Jacob nodded and moved closer, our thighs pressing together and our faces barely an inch apart. We must have sat like this a million times playing video games together, but the air around us had never felt so still and heavy. Jacob exhaled and closed the gap between us. His lips were soft against mine and he tasted of mint, and even though we were barely kissing, I was already addicted.

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