Page 19 of The Forever After Bet

I groan, my knees almost buckling when Hannah’s mouth crashes into mine. I kept waiting for her to push me away or tell me no. This wasn’t what I expected. I back her against the wall, and she wraps her legs around my hips. I run my hand along her thigh to her butt, holding her to me, then flick my tongue against her lips. She opens her mouth. My tongue darts in, and she sucks on it. A rush of pleasure races down my spine, and I thrust my hips against hers. She moans into my mouth, tightening her leg around me.

I’ve dreamed of this for the past two weeks. Not being with her has been torture. I miss her laugh, the sound of her voice, all the big words she uses. Most of all, I miss holding her. Holding her hand last week during the play was heaven. She works her hand under my shirt, rubbing it along my abs, and I groan into her mouth. I untuck her shirt and skim my hand along her soft skin. I pull at the cup of her bra and cover her breast with my hand, swiping my thumb across her taut peak.

We should stop. Her parents could catch us at any second. I’ve lost all sense of propriety because all that matters is being in this moment with Hannah. I kiss across her jaw, down the slope of her neck to where she’s sensitive. She whimpers with pleasure when I scrape my teeth and suck on her tender skin. I want to leave a mark. I want her to see it every time she looks in the mirror and remember it was me that gave it to her.

She tugs on my hair, and I kiss my way back up her neck. She bites at my jaw and then nips my bottom lip. I take her mouth again. We kiss until our lungs burn for air, and we have to break apart.

I lean my forehead against hers. “I love you, Hannah,” I whisper, breathless.

Her eyes pinch shut, and a tear streaks down her cheek.

“Talk to me. Tell me what’s going through your head.” I cup my hand around her cheek, wiping away her tear with my thumb.

“I—”

Jack’s bedroom door opens. “He’s probably up there hoarding all the cookies for himself,” Ty says, and then I hear him walking down the hall.

Hannah pushes me away and runs up the stairs. She glances back at me. “Keep your promise,” she whispers, then disappears through the door.

I lean my head against the wall, pounding my fist. Dammit!

“Yo, Ford, what’s wrong?” Ty asks, hurrying over to me.

I push off the wall, scrubbing my hands through my hair. “Hannah was still down here when I came out of the bedroom. I stopped her. I wanted to talk; but one thing led to another, we ended up making out against the wall. When she heard you, she got spooked and bolted up the stairs.”

“Shoot! I’m sorry,” Ty says, looking upset.

“It’s not your fault. You didn’t know. I should’ve stopped and tried to talk to her, but we were both caught up in the moment.”

“Seriously, how hard is it to grab a plate of cookies and come back downstairs?” Jack mutters to himself, coming around the corner. “Oh, what’s going on?”

I shake my head, feeling frustrated. I wave my hand at Ty and walk over to the couch, dropping onto it with my head in my hands while Ty fills Jack in.

“Oh man, that sucks,” Jack says. He and Ty come over, sitting on either side of me.

“I think I’m going to head home.” I can’t stay here with what just happened. I know myself, and I’ll end up in Hannah’s bedroom in the middle of the night, which is a terrible idea.

“We’ll all go.” Jack pats my back. “You shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.”

“For the record, I think what happened was a good thing. You didn’t use words, but you two did talk,” Ty says with a shrug.

“Ty.” Jack shakes his head. “Sometimes I wonder about you. Way to look at the bright side.”

I cover my hand over my mouth, trying not to laugh, but it was funny and kind of true.

It’s almost three in the morning, and I can’t sleep. Jack and Ty stayed over, and we camped out in my basement, in the theater room. Jack’s asleep at the other end of the sectional, and Ty is on an air mattress.

I can’t stop thinking about Hannah and what happened earlier, how it felt to hold her and kiss her. How much I love her. It’s only been two weeks since that awful Friday night, but it feels like two months. She keeps telling me to keep my promise. I’m willing to wait until high school’s over to be with her if that’s what she really wants. I wish she’d gotten out what she was going to say. Does she still love me? I thought giving us time apart would help our feelings settle and help us figure out what direction we needed to go. But the longer time goes on, the more complicated things feel.

I pull out my phone and scroll through social media, hoping for a distraction, or at least something to numb my mind. A tattoo artist I follow from Spokane is doing an all-night gig at a local shop here in Lake City. I click on her live feed and watch while she puts the finishing touches on a dragon tattoo. After she’s done, she announces she has no more clients and will be in the shop until nine a.m. I’m crazy for even thinking the idea, but crazy is exactly what I need right now. I message her and tell her I can be at the shop in fifteen minutes, and she messages back, saying she’ll hold the spot for me.

I get up, slip my kicks on, and maneuver around the air mattress. When I get to the stairs, the lights along the floor automatically turn on. Dang it! I forgot about those. I curse, but keep going, hoping the lights don’t wake the guys up.

“Where are you going?” Jack asks when I’m only on the third step.

So much for sneaking out of here.

---