Page 42 of Quarantine Crush
I hit him again, too mad to use my words like the grown-ass woman I’m supposed to be–right now, I’m merely a twelve-year-old girl mad at the stupid boy next door. Before I have time to wind up for another swing, Knox hits me square in the face with his own pillow–and all hell breaks loose.
“Why do you have to be such a guy,” I scream, hitting Knox with my pillow, using way more force than necessary.
“Why do you have to be such a pain in my ass?” he growls back, hitting me with equal force.
I rise onto my knees for better leverage. “You make me so mad,” I yell, knocking him in the shoulder. “You don’t even know!” I shout, each word punctuated by a new blow.
“I don’t know what?” Knox bellows, swatting me on my butt with enough force to send me spiraling toward the floor.
Knox drops his pillow with lightning speed, reaching for me, but our legs tangle in the darkness, sending us both tumbling off the bed. I land on my back, my shoulders and tailbone taking the brunt of it. I let out a grunt as Knox’s weight lands on top of me.
“Shit,” Knox curses. “I’m so sorry, Emy. Are you okay?”
“Fine,” I pant, unable to think past the fact that every inch of Knox’s hard body is pressed along the length of mine.
He seems to realize it at the same time I do, and I expect him to pull away, to put distance between us like he’s done every other time. But he doesn’t. Our chests brush with each ragged exhale, peaking my nipples and making me squirm underneath him.
Knox stares down at me, the sole sound our hitched breaths. I watch every emotion as it crosses his face–anger, confusion, frustration, and finally determination.
“Fuck it,” he growls, and then his lips are on mine.
Something about the darkness we’re hiding in emboldens me–like without light, I can’t see the consequences this night might have. The jaded part of my brain whispers that this may be the only time I ever get to kiss Knox like this–with a reckless abandon. A switch flips inside of me, and I decide if thisisthe only time I’ll ever get toreallykiss my best friend, I’m going to make damn sure he never forgets it. I want my kiss to be the one that keeps him up at night long after this quarantine is over.
My hands tangle in his hair, our tongues fighting for dominance. Knox groans low in his throat, the sound making me braver. I move my hips, letting him slide between my knees, before wrapping my legs around him. The feel of his hard length pressed along my center sends heat pooling low in my belly.
“Fuck,” Knox groans, tearing his lips away from mine before peppering kisses along the column of my neck.
My hands slide under the hem of his shirt and up his ribs, my nails scratching lightly along his skin. Knox shivers, pressing harder against my core as he nips at the spot where my neck meets my shoulder. I gasp, my hands returning to his hair before pulling his mouth back to mine. I nip at his bottom lip, pulling another groan from him, and then our tongues are dancing in perfect sync. I slow our pace, drawing out each twirl of my tongue with agonizing slowness.
Knox’s hands tangle in my hair, cupping my head like he wants to hold me there forever. A shrill ringing sounds, causing us to break apart.
“Shit,” Knox curses, somehow managing to pull his phone from his back pocket even though my legs are still wrapped around him. “It’s my dad,” he says, his breathing still labored from our kisses.
I clear my throat and look away, suddenly feeling awkward in the dim light of his cell phone. “You should probably get that,” I whisper. “You know he’ll keep calling. Besides, it could be important since we just talked to them.”
Knox sighs, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead before detangling himself from me. He stands, pulling me up with him. “We should probably talk about–” He breaks off as I shake my head.
“Not tonight, okay?” I say, my stomach tight. “I need some sleep.”
Emotion swirls in his eyes, but it’s gone before I can name it. “Okay,” he nods. “Sweet dreams, Emy.”
“Night,” I whisper as he drops my hand and turns to leave.
The moment my door clicks shut, I scramble around my room, desperate to find my phone. When I finally spot it on the floor near my nightstand, I dive for it. My hand curls around the device, and I power it on, sending out the 23-19 text as I pull the comforter from my bed and slip into the bathroom.
I sink into my empty tub, wrapped in the downy softness of my blanket, and fire up the Skype call. My nerves stretch tighter with each second that passes as I wait for my friends’ faces to pop up on the screen.
“Agh,” I squeal. “What the hell are you wearing?”
“Don’t you skin shame me, Embry,” Nina growls, pointing to the clay facemask she’s wearing. I tried the stuff at one of our girls’ night get-togethers but never again. It’s thick and itchy and definitely transforms you into a mud monster while you’re wearing it. The crazy part is Nina doesn’t even need it. Her skin is flawless. “This is what you get when you have an emergency at midnight.”
“Shit. I’m sorry, you guys. I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“Save your apologies, bitch,” Hadley says, her blue eyes calculating. “And start spilling the deets of why you have JBF hair and puffy lips.”
Taylor gasps, her long brown waves piled high on her head. She looks half-asleep, but at Hadley’s words, she perks up. “Oh my goodness. Please, for the love of cheese, tell us you finally did the deed with Knox.”
My skin heats, and my cheeks turn pink as I think about the make-out session we just had.
