Page 22 of Between Never and Forever
“Close enough,” she whispers.
At first, I think she means our bodies, but then I realize she meant my name. I shake my head just a tiny bit, give her a small, exasperated smile, and then I do it.
“Savannah. Can I kiss you?”
She cocks her head to the side and lifts her eyes to the sky, tapping her chin with her index finger like she’s considering my question. I raise an eyebrow at her, making her laugh. Then she gives me a curt nod that makes my excitement spike.
“Yeah. You can kiss me, Levi.”
Slowly, with my stomach full of butterflies, I lean in and kiss her for a second time. For a moment, we just stand there, lips pressed together, and I bring my hands to her shoulders again. Her wild hair tickles my nose, but I don’t pull away. Then, I feel her mouth open the smallest bit, so I do the same.
My whole chest is on fire. My heart is racing, and I have to remind myself to breathe.
Nothing has ever felt like this.
Her breath is hot when it mixes with mine, so different from the cool night air I was just breathing, and when her tongue touches mine, my body quakes with a shiver. She glides her tongue over mine, and I feel her move closer, erasing all the space between us that was there before.
I grow bolder, moving my tongue a little more, mimicking her movements. It’s weird, warm and wet, but nice.
My fingers tighten on her shoulders. I want to keep her here. I don’t want her to leave. Not now that I know how this feels. Savannah is usually so prickly, so hard. I didn’t know she could feel sosoft.
Too soon, she ends the kiss, closing her mouth and pressing her lips to mine one last time before taking a giant step back. My hands fall from her shoulders, and we stare at each other. Her chest is heaving, just like mine, and I can tell from the heat on my face that I have a matching blush, too.
“Well...” she says quietly.
“Well?”
I watch as she reaches up and brushes her lips with her fingertips, a small smile lifting her cheeks.
“Well, I guess that didn’t suck.”
“You’re such a brat, Shaw,” I joke with a scoff, and she narrows her eyes playfully.
“Better a brat than a weenie, Cooper.”
I puff out my chest and lose the smile, taking a step in her direction.
“Would a weenie have kissed you breathless?”
The sharp edge in my voice surprises even me, and when Savannah’s eyes flare and her mouth parts in shock, it stirs something deep in my stomach. She pulls her lower lip between her teeth and shrugs.
“Dunno,” she whispers. “Never been kissed before.”
My mouth twitches in a smile, triumph surging in my chest. Knowing I was her first kiss fills me with something I don’t understand. Pride or possessiveness, maybe. I’ll always be her first kiss. No one and nothing will ever change that. Doesn’t matter where she goes after this.
That kiss, her first kiss, will always belong to me.
“Savannah, I—”
“No,” she says quickly, stepping backward just as I step forward. “Don’t say anything else, okay? I gotta go. Ineedto go, Levi. Please.”
It’s the please that does it.
My shoulders drop and I plant my feet firmly on the ground. I nod once and suck in a breath.
“Okay.”
She smiles and takes a few steps backward, adding more distance between us.
