Page 17 of One Night Rebellion
"I won't," I say, my voice rough with emotion. "I swear to you, I won't hurt her."
"You better not." He extends his hand to me. "Because despite everything, despite the fact that you're about to startsleeping with my little sister, you're still my best friend. And I don't want to have to choose between you and her."
I take his hand, gripping it firmly. "You won't have to. Are we good?"
"We're good." He pulls me into a quick, hard hug, the kind men give when emotions are running too high for comfort. "But, JT?"
"Yeah?"
"If she comes crying to me about something you did, I'm not going to ask questions first."
I can't help but grin at that. "I wouldn't expect you to."
He claps me on the shoulder. "Now get out of here and go make my sister happy. And for God's sake, try to be discreet. I don't need the whole town talking about my best friend's sex life with my sister."
"I'll do my best," I say, heading for the door. "But I'm done hiding this, Malcolm. I want everyone to know she's mine."
"Just remember what I said about being discreet."
"I heard you." I pause at the door, turning back to look at him. "Thank you. For your blessing. For not killing me. For everything."
"Don't thank me yet. Ask me again in a year when you're still together and she's still happy."
The drive to Addie's feels like it takes forever, even though it's only ten minutes across town. My heart is pounding so hard I can hear it over the radio, and my hands are actually shaking on the steering wheel.
I've got Malcolm's blessing. One of the people I respect most in the world has given me permission to pursue the woman I've wanted for years. The woman I'm pretty sure I've always loved, even when I was too scared to admit it to myself.
When I pull into her driveway, I can see her car is here, which means she's working from home today. Perfect. I take a deepbreath, trying to calm my racing pulse, but it's no use. I feel like a teenager about to ask out his crush for the first time.
I walk up to her front door and knock, bouncing slightly on my heels as I wait. When the door opens and I see her standing there, a smile on her face, her hair pulled back in a messy bun with a few strands framing her face, I lose all ability to think coherently.
"JT? What are you?—"
I don't let her finish. I push through the front door, backing her against the wall, and capture her mouth with mine. The kiss is hungry, desperate, full of years of pent-up wanting and the promise of everything that's about to change between us.
When we finally break apart, both breathing hard, she stares up at me with wide, startled eyes. "What's happening?"
"I got the okay," I say, my voice rough with desire and emotion. "From your brother. From one of the people I respect most in the world."
"You talked to Malcolm?" Her hands are fisted in my shirt, holding me close even as she looks uncertain.
"I told him how I feel about you. I told him I want to date you, that I'm done hiding this thing between us." I cup her face in my hands, stroking my thumbs across her cheekbones. "And now I'm about to lay claim to you so that everyone in Bellehaven can see it."
Her breath catches. "JT..."
"No more sneaking around, Addie. No more pretending we're just friends. I want the whole world to know you're mine."
The uncertainty in her eyes melts away, replaced by something hot and wanting that makes my blood sing. "Then show me," she whispers.
I don't need to be asked twice. I scoop her up in my arms, her legs automatically wrapping around my waist as I head towardher bedroom, both of us already lost in the promise of what's about to happen.
11
Addie
I can’t breathe. Not because he’s kissing me, not because he’s got me backed up against the wall just inside the door to my tiny apartment. But because this feels different. This feels real. In a big scary way. But I told myself after he brought me home last night that I was done being afraid. I spent most of my childhood and all of my adolescence completely in love with JT. And all I wanted was to grow up enough for him to notice, for him to look at me and see me… Addie. Not Malcolm’s little sister. I realized last night that it wasn’t gossip I was afraid of, it wasn’t being talked about or having people stare at us. I was afraid because I wanted this for so long. What if it doesn’t match up to the fantasy in my head? Or, even scarier, what if it does?
And that’s so unfair. To him and to me. He deserves to have me look at him and see him. Not this idealized image of him that I carried around forever.
