Page 66 of Obligation
She huffed and shook her head. Then, in the next second, she had her arms around his neck and her mouth slanted over his. He didn’t hesitate to reciprocate, his tongue teasing her bottom lip until she granted him access. Her heart thundered so hard he could feel it pounding against his chest, and he was certain she could feel his, too.
Tangling one hand in her long, silky locks, he slid the other around to settle against her lower back. He tilted her head and deepened the kiss to the point that he wasn’t sure where he ended and she started. And he didn’t care. All he wanted was her, no matter how or when or where. He’d take whatever she gave him.
“Carissa!” Tiffany’s high-pitched call pierced through the haze of their kiss. “Did you fall in or something? What’s taking you so long?”
Carissa jerked back, eyes wide, and reached up to touch her lips. Her chest heaved with her labored breaths.
Tiffany’s footsteps drew closer, and then she was standing in the hallway. Her gaze bounced from Bradley to Carissa, and a knowing look crossed her face.
“Hey, Tiffany,” Bradley said with a nod in her direction. “Sorry. It’s my fault Carissa’s taking so long. I was hogging the bathroom.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Tiffany said slowly, her words dripping with suspicion.
Carissa didn’t say a word. She simply turned on her heel, walked into the bathroom, and closed the door.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Carissa sat on the far end of the couch and kept her gaze glued to the television. She wasn’t much of a sports fan, but she pretended to be fully engaged in the game on the screen in front of her—for no other reason than she couldn’t find the courage to look at Tiffany, who’d been giving Carissa knowing looks since finding her in the hall with an almost-naked Bradley.
And Carissa definitely couldn’t look at Bradley. Not after she’d practically yelled at him and then kissed him.He must think I’m crazy.But more than the embarrassment of her behavior earlier, she couldn’t get the image of him shirtless and damp from her mind. Bradley was insanely hot with clothes on. With nothing but a towel, he was downright drool-worthy.
The guys shouted and cheered when one of the teams made a touchdown seconds before the buzzer sounded to indicate halftime. Carissa stood quickly and wandered into the kitchen. She busied herself with cleaning up empty pizza boxes and putting leftovers in the refrigerator.
Danny hadn’t bothered to show up, and he hadn’t called or texted, either. She had no idea where he was, or who he was with. Under normal circumstances, that would upset her. A lot. But tonight, she didn’t care. Her thoughts were too muddled, and her emotions were a jumbled mess. Danny ditching her was probably a blessing, all things considered.
“So, when are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Tiff whispered as she rinsed out empty beer bottles.
“What do you mean?” Carissa leaned against the counter and stared toward the living room.
Garrett, Cory, Jeremy, and Bradley were discussing the game, their voices loud and animated. Their laughter rang through the house, and for the first time in longer than she could remember, she felt the peace and happiness that permeated the space around her. No one was fighting or arguing. No underlying tension that threatened to blow up at the slightest provocation. Other than her own personal tension with Bradley, but she was hiding that fairly well.
“Don’t play stupid.” Tiff rolled her eyes. “I saw you and Bradley earlier. You both looked guilty as hell.”
Carissa cringed. “Was it really that obvious?”
“I knew it!”
“Shhh.” Carissa tossed a worried look at the living room, but no one seemed to be paying them much attention. She angled her body so she was facing Tiffany. “Please don’t say anything.”
“That’s impossible to do when I don’t know anything,” she said, her voice much quieter than a moment ago.
Carissa took a deep breath. Should she tell Tiff the truth right now and risk her friend freaking out? Or should Carissa wait until they were alone back in their res hall? She chewed on her lip, indecision warring inside of her.
“Oh, this must be really freaking good.” Tiffany planted one hand on her hip and the other on the counter. “Spill the tea right now, or I’m just going to ask Bradley.”
Carissa’s eyes widened, and she shook her head. When Tiffany made threats like that, she always followed through, and the last thing Carissa wanted was for Tiffany to go ask Bradley anything about anything.
“Fine, but you cannot freak out. Got it?”
Tiffany nodded, a Cheshire-like grin on her face.
Yeah, this was a mistake, but too late to back out now. With another deep breath, Carissa said, “Bradley and I kissed.”
Tiffany blinked, then tilted her head. “Yeah. I know. At the TOP party. You already told—”
“No. I mean after that.” Carissa’s gaze danced from Tiffany to the living room.
Each time she realized Bradley wasn’t paying any attention to her, relief would flood her veins. Quickly followed by disappointment. Had she finally pushed him too far? Was he done with her for good now? Wasn’t that what she ultimately wanted?
