Page 108 of Reaching Avery
It couldn’t be too bad, right?
Maverick led me to a more open area of the room, pulling me to his chest and resting his hands at my lower back. Tilting my head, I looked into his eyes and smiled. His mouth seized mine, and as we began to sway back and forth, we remained in a lip lock. My headpiece bumped his forehead once as it slipped down, which made us briefly stop kissing so I could adjust it, but then we found each other again.
The song wasn’t even slow, but we danced like it was, lost in our own world. I didn’t think about anyone around us. Just him.
***
Sarah attacked us after a while. She was in a super short aqua skirt with matching high socks, a white skintight blouse that had a big blue bow in the center, a blue wig, and a choker necklace.
“Have you guys seen Travis?” she asked, tugging on her skirt a little to pull it down.
“Yeah,” Maverick answered, wrapping his strong arms more around me. “He and Ricky were over by the drink table a few minutes ago.”
“Thanks!” She disappeared into the crowd of moving bodies.
Shortly afterward, the two princes emerged. Ricky had the cockiest smirk on his face, while Travis went more for a sexy smolder. Battle of the Princes was on full-force.
Maverick and I continued to dance, but we moved to the side so we could see our friends.
Our friends.
Theyweremine too. Maybe it hadn’t started off that way, but it was true now.
Ricky got the first dance, and he threw an arrogant grin to Travis. But then Sarah grabbed Travis’ hand and dragged him onto the dance floor. It only became more competitive from there. Both guys probably danced with every girl at the party, and there was one point when they even started pulling other guys to dance.
Me included.
Ricky ran over and held out his hand. “Please, Avery. I ain’t losing this battle.”
With a reluctant look to Mav—who nodded and ushered me in that direction—I grabbed Ricky’s hand and let him lead me out there in the center of the room. Some pop song was on, and my dancing skills were nonexistent, but honestly, Ricky’s weren’t either, so we both made fools of ourselves.
And I laughed. Way more than I had in a long time, if ever.
Ben finally showed up, and he’d dressed up as a hobbit. He and I talked a lot as Maverick and Sarah went back out to dance. Once Travis stole Sarah, Mav then grabbed a quiet girl whose name I didn’t know. She’d been huddled in a corner basically all night by herself, and it warmed my heart that Mav had been his observant self as always and clearly wanted her to have a good time. To not feel left out.
As the night went on, I took what my mom said to heart, and I did my best to let loose. Alcohol was everywhere—in kegs, in the special punch one of Jace’s friends brought, and there were even several hard liquor bottles on a table beside a large bowl of ice and bottles of soda.
But I didn’t drink. I thought about it, but I didn’t need it.
Maverick was my safe place. As long as he had hold of me, nothing could touch me.
We danced, we laughed, we kissed, and then we did it all again.
Travis, having feeling left out, asked me to dance with him too, so I did. I even danced with Sarah before Maverick stole me away.
Instead of pulling me into another dance, Mav took me toward one of the empty stalls.
My heart raced as I realized where we were headed. I couldn’t tell if I was more anxious or excited. Probably an equal share of both.
“Is this okay?” Maverick asked after closing the stall door and snaking his arms back around me.
“Yeah,” I said, thankful my voice didn’t shake.
He removed my headpiece and placed it on the floor. And then his lips were on mine. Hot and heavy. His hands held my face as we kissed, and we were going at each other so hard that I banged into the wall. But we didn’t stop.
Soft pants left him in between kisses, and it was the sexiest sound I’d ever heard.
So many things attacked my senses that it was almost too much. Almost. The warmth of his body on mine, the taste of something sweet on his lips, and the sounds filling the air were all intoxicating.
