Page 9 of One Night Rebellion
He nods. “Where do you want to go?”
“Willowbrook?”
At one point in time, it was supposed to be a fancy subdivision overlooking the river. But pandemics and real estate developments don’t exactly go great together. The developers hadn’t been able to get the materials to complete the houses and, eventually, the money ran out. Now it’s just a series of roads flanking a bunch of empty lots.
“If my dad sees us up there—hell, if your dad sees us up there—we’re in for a world of trouble.”
“We’re adults, JT. We’re allowed to sit in a car and have a conversation,” I point out.
He puts the car in gear, the engine rumbling as he eases out of the parking lot. “Is that what we’re going to Willowbrook for? Conversation?”
God, I hope not.
—-
The car is parked at one of the end lots, looking out over the bluff. Across the river, I can see the glow of lights fromLexington. We haven’t said much. But then there’s not really a lot to say. We’re both weighing, measuring, trying to figure out if what we’re about to do is going to be worth it. But it’s a Schrodinger’s cat moment. We won’t know if it’s worth it until we actually do it, and once we do, there’s no going back.
“Addie?”
I turn to look at him. “Hmm?”
“Have you changed your mind?”
“About letting you kiss me?”
“Yeah.”
Shaking my head, I kind of laugh. “No. I’ve not changed my mind. I’m not sure my mind was ever involved in any of this… Have you changed yours?”
He doesn’t answer, but I can feel the weight of his stare. And when he leans in, my breath catches. This feels important. It feels like I’m standing on the edge of what could be the best thing ever or possibly the biggest mistake of my life. But either way, I’m helpless to do anything besides just let it happen.
When he raises his hand and cups my cheek, his thumb stroking along my lower lip, I feel a shudder race through me. But then he leans in closer, his lips just a breath from mine. And it feels like static. It feels like that charge in the air just before lightning strikes.
At first, it’s just a brush of his lips against mine. But like anything else that’s addictive, I need more. That one little taste just isn’t enough. So I slide my hands over his chest to his shoulders, then hook them behind his neck, holding him close. I’ve pressed myself up against him like a cat. And everywhere we touch, even through all the layers of our clothes, feels like a fire burning between us.
This isn’t a crush. This isn’t the childish infatuation I always felt for my brother’s best friend. This is something I hadn’t expected, something that I don’t know what to do with. Partof me wants to pull back from such a complication. But there’s another part of me that wants to just fall into that chaos.
But there’s no time to really think about that, no time to stop and figure it out. The kiss deepens, his mouth presses more firmly against mine. His tongue glides gently along my lower lip and my whole body goes liquid with it. JT isn’t the boy I had a crush on. Boys don’t kiss like that. He’s a man who knows exactly what he wants. And for the moment… that’s me.
Just enjoy it while you can.
That seductive whisper in my brain just obliterates any hesitation. The kiss takes on a life of its own, morphing from one thing to the next. Soft and sweet. Hard and hungry. Demanding and powerful. It’s everything all at once. And all I can do is just hang on.
—-
It’s nearly three in the morning when I get back to my apartment. I unlock the door and slip inside, trying not to wake up my roommate. I sink down onto the couch and the reality of everything that happened just descends.
“You’re home late. The bar closed hours ago.”
I turn to the left and see Karly standing in the doorway of her bedroom. “I’m in so much trouble.”
“Money or men?”
“Man. Just one. But holy fucking hell,” I whisper.
She lifts one eyebrow at that. “Well, now I need the details. Who is this mystery man?”
“Not a mystery.” If there is one person in the entire world who knows about my enduring crush on JT, it’s Karly. “JT.”
