Page 29 of The Sitcom Star
Then she kissed him, winding her arms around him to pull him closer.She kissed him as though it was the only thing she wanted, and in this moment, that was the truth.
She just wantedhim.
It wasn’t something she’d planned out, something she’d put on any list.
It simply was.
He kissed her back, no longer a boy who spiked his hair with water for school pictures, but a man who knew exactly how to kiss.Exactly how to kissher.Everything he did, it felt like it was designed to drive her even crazier.The way his lips slid over her neck, making her arch her head back, before claiming her mouth once more.The way he pulled her onto his lap, his hands kneading her ass.
His erection was firm between her thighs, and she did want that.Eventually.But for tonight, they could just kiss.
“Mmm… Maddie…” he murmured.
It was different from how he’d ever said her name before.Low and rough, and the only reason she could hear it was because she was so, so close to him, their limbs entwined, his lips an inch from her ear.
Yes.Perfect.
Unlike the last time she’d kissed a guy, she didn’t have to worry about how it looked for the cameras.That wasn’t really a kiss—it was work.
This?It was all for her, and it didn’t need to look appropriate for an audience.
Tonight felt like a dream, yet also more real than anything that had happened to her in ages.
“Hey,” he whispered an indeterminate amount of time later.He smiled at her fondly.“What do you want to do now?”
Although Maddie’s body was buzzing with desire, she’d always had to ease into intimacy.There was nothing wrong with sleeping with someone you’d just kissed for the first time, but it wasn’t for her.She did want to spend more time with Adrian, though.
So she said the first thing that came to mind.“Let’s go out for fried chicken.”
He looked momentarily disoriented—she hoped he was dazed because of the kiss—but soon recovered.“Sure.Where do you want to go?”
“Well, you’re the expert.What’s open around here at this time?The place that serves chicken sandwiches with ice cream, perhaps?”
For some reason, those sandwiches sounded like a very good idea right now.It wasn’t because she was drunk—she’d only had two beers—although she did feel rather giggly.
Maybe she was drunk on kisses.
“It is, actually.”He stood up, carrying her with him before setting her feet on the ground, and then he kissed her one more time before taking her hand and leading her east, toward this magical fried chicken place.
He continued to hold her hand as they walked; she was acutely aware of that point of contact, the warmth of his slightly larger hand.They didn’t talk about the hand-holding business, or anything else about the two of them, though.Everything seemed a touch fragile, and she didn’t want to discuss it more and ruin the spell.
He’d liked her then.
He liked her now.
For tonight, that was enough.
Usually, when she was buzzing with energy, it was related to a burst of creativity.Solving some kind of problem that had eluded her.But right now, she was justpresent, and she hadn’t needed to tell herself to treat tonight like improv; it felt natural.
At the restaurant, they put on their masks and waited behind a group of young men who appeared to be stoned.There was not one, but two chicken ice cream sandwich options.The “regular” one with vanilla ice cream, and the “maple deluxe” with maple bourbon ice cream, drizzled with maple syrup.Deciding the latter was a bit too much for her, Maddie chose the regular one, but Adrian decided to try something new.
They placed their orders and waited outside on the patio.
“Hey.”A guy approached their table but didn’t come too close.He’d just picked up his order in a paper bag.“You know who you look like?That chick onChu’s Restaurant.”
“I get that a lot,” Maddie said, deadpan.
“Yeah, I imagine you do.Is it annoying?”
