Page 54 of #Awestruck

He pulled back slightly, as if he’d intended to only give me a quick peck, but I could see in his smoldering eyes that something had changed his mind. I didn’t know whether it was the way my body shuddered against him, or the whimpering sound I made, or just the feel of the fiery chemistry that exploded between us in that one brief moment, but our kiss wasn’t over yet.

Evan shifted his arms, wrapping them around me completely, as if he meant to shield me from everything surrounding us. My arms wound around his neck, needing his strength to stay vertical. My heart sputtered to a stop and then quickly restarted as his lips came back down on mine.

And this, a real kiss from Evan Dawson, was so much better than anything I’d envisioned when I was thirteen. It still felt like a combination of unicorns, rainbows, and boy bands but in a completely mature and awesome way.

There was some hesitancy at first, like he was worried I might stop him. How could I when all the tension fled my muscles, turning me pliant and more than willing? And even when he grew more confident, given my enthusiastic response, he kept the kiss sweet. Tender. Gentle.

And altogether too short.

Heat flooded through me. It felt like slipping into a deliciously hot bath at the end of a long hard day—my bones melted, and my entire being sighed as the warmth of his kiss infused every cell of my body with longing for more. A lot more.

He ended the kiss, and I had to fight not to whimper in protest. My lips were still parted, my eyes slightly out of focus. It took me a second to get back to reality. He leaned forward and planted a teasing kiss on the tip of my nose. “I’ve wanted to do that since the night of Tinsley and Jamie’s party.”

What? Kiss my nose? Or was he referring to the much better kissing that had just taken place?

The press cheered for us, causing a blush so deep that I could literally feel my cheeks burning. At first the sound startled me, as Evan had made the outside world disappear in those brief moments. I had forgotten there was a crowd of people recording and photographing us. Their applause made me feel a little like a trained seal, performing just for the prize at the end.

Though if the prize was more kisses from Evan, I might consider it.

He took me by the hand and gently pointed me toward the exit. I walked away while Evan said into the microphone, “As you can see, I’m a very lucky man.”

I only barely registered the laughter behind me. Nia met me as I went offstage, and she wore a superior-looking smile.

“That was such a great kiss. That boy has a huge grin on his face.”

“I’m glad two-thirds of us enjoyed it,” I muttered, still unable to process all the overwhelming sensory input that had just happened.

“You are a liar. You enjoyed every second of that.”

“Okay. I did. A little.” A crap ton, actually.

And despite the fact that I still hadn’t figured out what Evan and I actually were to each other, whether I could trust him and believe in him, I knew one thing.

Despite my blustery objections, I definitely wanted to kiss him again.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

By the time Evan had finished with the press, I had regained control of my mind and body. Mostly. Things got a little hazy when he first approached me, but I redirected my thoughts to the business at hand—visiting sick children.

I spent hours watching him with those kids. All those little bald heads just about broke my heart. Evan paid special attention to each one, even the kids who had no idea who he was. I would hand him a gift bag for each child, and he not only autographed each piece of Jacks swag but also made sure to find out the kid’s name to personalize it.

Several times throughout the day I caught him smiling at me, like this was something we were sharing together. He seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself. Again, I found myself wanting to believe in this version of Evan. Given the stats on NFL players, some of the men in this room were guilty of domestic violence. Of anger management issues. Or were alcoholics. Just because they put on a great face in public didn’t mean they didn’t have major issues in their personal lives.

I thought of Aubrey’s words—that no one could keep an act up for that long. Was that true?

Evan tried to include me in what he was doing. I attempted to tell him that nobody here wanted to meet me, but he kept introducing me. That burning, sinking guilty feeling returned each time he used the wordfiancée.

We shook a lot of hands and gave a lot of hugs. I knew the board would be pleased with how much attention and media coverage the charity received today. It would enable them to solicit more funds and help more kids.

When we were finished, Evan turned to me and said, “Dinner? My treat.”

I opened my mouth, and no words came out. I didn’t know what to say. I felt like I needed a break from Evan. How was I supposed to judge my perceptions and feelings when he seemed to always be around, scrambling everything up?

My nonresponse earned me a small frown, which quickly disappeared. “Or I can just see you for Thanksgiving at your parents’ house. You look like you need some ‘me’ time.”

“Yes,” I said gratefully. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Eleven o’clock.”

“I’ll be there.”

---