Jason's POV
I don't think I've ever wanted to kiss a girl as badly as I wanted to kiss Catherine Moss. Never. Not even London, and she was the girl I'd dated for nearly two years.
With London, it had been about getting to the next level for the sake of getting there as fast we could. There had been no finesse, not in the beginning anyway, so I guess it was easy to confuse love and sex. And kissing was just a prelude to what was coming next.
But this was different. Cat was different.
And this wasn't the closet at a party in the sixth grade. This wasn't about boasting to my friends that I'd kissed the mayor's daughter. (Can't believe I'd actually done that, but then boys and hormones don't usually make for smart decisions.)
I wanted to take my time. I wanted this first real kiss between us to matter to her because it sure as hell mattered to me. Maybe it was the alpha male in me, or maybe I was just an arrogant dick, but I wanted this kiss to be the one she remembered as the best kiss she'd ever had.
I was setting the bar high, but I was cool with that. I had my fair share of practice, but with Cat, everything felt so damn natural. And anticipation rumbled through me, because man, I knew this was going to be good.
She was trembling, her body pressed so close that most of our parts were touching, and I had nothing to do with that. That was all her, and, holy hell, did it feel good.
I cupped her head and stared down at her, eyes resting on a mouth made for kissing. Man, if she knew some of the conversations that had gone on about her in the locker room, her cheeks would have been as red as the nail polish o her fingernails.
Cat was uncharted territory for a lot of guys, but she was the kind of uncharted territory that most of them dreamed about. Hot as sin with that sweet side we all dug. She wasn't the girl you scored points with. She was the keeper.
"Open your eyes," I whispered.
Slowly, they opened, and my hands sunk deeper into her hair. She was wearing more makeup than I was used to seeing, but her eyes...they were dark and mysterious, that mouth was shiny and soft, and her hair was all over the place, wild from the humidity. She was...
"You're beautiful."
She licked her bottom lip and smiled, a small half-smile. "I could say the same thing about you."
"I don't think that anyone has ever called me beautiful."
It took a second for my words to sink in, and just as the hot fingers of embarrassment worked their way up from inside me, she stood on her tiptoes, her hands now sunk into my hair. She offered up her hot, open mouth, and that was it. I was done.
I was a guy who wanted a girl so badly, and just like any other normal hot-blooded dude, all thought but Cat flew out of my head. I slid my mouth across hers. I accepted what she was offering, because right now, at this moment, there was nothing but this kiss. There was no embarrassment or awkward movements or anything that didn't feel right.
She was soft and smooth and pliant in my arms, and as I deepened the kiss, I thought I heard her groan. I cradled her head so that she couldn't move, and I tasted every inch of her mouth. Cherry gloss, spearmint gum. The more I tasted, the more she pushed against me, and I couldn't help myself-I let one hand travel down her back because most of it was exposed.
I trailed fingers down her spine, and I knew she wasn't wearing a bra because I felt her pressed against me, and by this point, I was pretty damn sure she felt all of me. Like all of me.
I pulled back a bit because this was going way too fast and we were both breathing hard. Resting my forehead against hers, I struggled to get my shit together. When I thought I was okay to talk, I took a second and prayed that everything would come outright.
"That was pretty amazing," I said slowly, taking my time. And who was I kidding? My hands were still all over her. It was more than amazing. I don't think the right word had been invented to describe how I was feeling. Where was Alex the poet when you needed him?
In the distance, I could hear the echoes of the disco party. Kids laughing and arguing and singing along to Alex, Noah and Troy. Funny, any other time, I would have felt left out. Like who did they think they were, jamming without me?
But right now, with this girl and the stars and the fireflies flickering around the ground, I felt like I was the king of the world.
Total chick analogy, but whatever.
"I think amazing doesn't come close," she said.
A smile crept across my face. Good to know I wasn't the only one who felt it.
"So, where do we go from here?" I asked, moving my head a bit so that I could see her. She gave a small shrug and was quiet for a moment.
"You're so not the guy that I..." Her eyes flew to mine, wide and more than a little embarrassed.
"The guy that you..." I prompted.
She exhaled and kind of shuddered. I felt it move down her body, and since we were still pretty much glued together from the waist down, I can't lie, I had a moment when I felt things might get a little dicey for me. Dicey in a way that wasn't cool for a guy in this situation.
Relax. Chill. Sure I might have been smiling, but on the inside, I was in pain.
"I just never expected a kiss like that."
I wanted to fist-pump, but I didn't think she'd appreciate that sort of display.
"It was pretty epic," I said.
A small smile crossed her face. "I'll have to agree with that observation."
"So what are we going to do about this? About you and me?"
Her eyes kind of clouded over, and she pulled away. It was a gentle manoeuvre, and I got that feeling that I should maybe give her some space. Truthfully? I needed a moment too.
She was quiet for a long time, and I was starting to get worried. Maybe she wasn't as into me as I thought. Maybe her idea of a boyfriend wasn't some brain-damaged dude who wasn't always the most eloquent.
"I've got stuff going on," she said softly. "I'm not in a really good place right now, and I'm probably not the best choice for someone to be with. Not exactly the most fun to be around."
I shoved my hands in my pockets because, God, I needed to do something with them other than what I wanted to do, which was put them all over Cat.
"If I was looking for fun and easy, I'd hang out with Lauren. And I'm not dissing her, because there's nothing wrong with that. Hell, even though I feel older than my parents some days, technically we're still teenagers. We're supposed to be having fun, getting crazy, doing stupid things. But you and I are on a bit of a different path from most of the guys back there." I motioned towards the noise of the party.
She nodded but didn't say anything.
"So maybe we don't have to walk that path alone."
Okay, my mum would be all over this. How many times had she lectured me on being sensitive and treating a girl the way I would treat my mother? (That was a bad analogy because, dude, who wanted to think about the girl they were getting busy with and their mum at the same time? That was kind of screwed up, even if I did get her meaning.)
I decided to go the whole nine yards, because by this point, what did I have to lose? Besides, chicks dug this sensitive stuff, didn't they?
"I want to know you, Cat." I took a step closer. "I want to know what your favourite movie is. What songs you sing. I know you dig Celine Dion, but what about Beyonce? Rihanna? Alessia Cara? Jon Bellion? I want to know what you think about at night just before you fall asleep." I paused, surprised at the tightening in my chest. "I want to know why sometimes you look sad. I want to know why to hurt you."
And I wanted to kick his ass, but I kept that to myself.
She pushed the tangle of hair off her shoulders and gave a half shrug, eyes wide and shiny. "My favourite movie is Proud Mary."
"Wow. I had you pegged for a chick flick. The Notebook or To all the boys I've Loved Before. My sister Hailey watches them over and over again."
"I'm full of surprises."
"Good to know. What's your favourite colour?"
"Blue."
"Song?"
"Capital Letters." There was a hint of a smile there.
"Fifty Shades of Grey?"
She nodded.
"Chick flick."
She was smiling now. "We're talking about music, not the movie. What's yours? Your favourite song?"
She'd moved closer, and I could see the stars reflected in her eyes, which made them seem mysterious. Kind of sexy.
"Sucker," I replied.
She frowned a bit. "I don't know that one."
"It's The Jonas Brothers. I'll play it for you someday." The words slipped out of me, but surprisingly, I didn't want to grab them back.
"Okay," she said.
Man, I wanted to kiss her again. I ran my hands through my hair because I had to do something with them.
"Why do you have a green streak?" she asked. "In your hair, I mean. It's...I like it."
I paused. I'd always been into trying new things with my hair, and my parents had always seen this as an extension of my artistic side. Heck, my mum hadn't complained once, no matter the colour. Not even the time I came home with a dark purple Mohawk. Her only request had been that I leave it down while at home. Said she was afraid I'd poke someone's eye out. But the blue streak? "I was bored and Hailey had some extra dye so..."
"I like it."
Her hand slipped into mine, her thumb running over my tattoos, and then I pulled her in close for a hug. The girl fit against me perfectly, and I would have stayed like that the whole night.
Her nose was buried in my neck, her body relaxed against mine as I rested my chin on her head."
"Jason?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm glad I came to this party."
"Yeah. Me too. I wasn't planning on it. Alex pretty much dragged me out of the house. I'll have to thank him later."
I could feel her heart beating, the warmth of her skin against mine, and I knew that if we didn't leave this secluded place, things would heat up again. Not that I didn't want them to, but there was something to be said for anticipation, and I was already anticipating more. So much more.
"Do you want to meet his girlfriend, Jessie? She's so cool. You'll like her."
Cat nodded. "Okay. Sounds good."
"I'm not letting go of your hand. Just saying."
A heartbeat passed.
"I wasn't going to let go either."
And she didn't.