Two could play at this game.

“I heard you talking in your sleep. I’d like to say that it did mean something to you. You said my name and how much you cared about me—”

“I always thought that when this happened you wouldn’t be talking about another guy first!” She shouted, startling me.

“When what happened?” Once again my carnal response was electrifying.

Instead of answering, she just stared at me with a blank expression. The corners of my mouth lifted into a flirtatious grin, knowing perfectly well that I caught her right where I needed her. I was bursting at the seams, but I knew to take my time. “You don’t want to talk about another guy, huh? Fine, let’s talk about me then, because I know exactly what I would do to you.” Once again my finger worked up and down her arm. “I’d take my time to explore each curve, each crevice of your body. I know you’re not fragile by any means, but I’d treat you like any treasure should be handled.”

“H-how’s that?” she squeaked.

There was no denying the smile on my face. “With awe and all the care in the world.”

I shut my eyes and sighed, reveling in the feeling of her soft skin on my fingertips. After years of only imagining what it would be like—feel like—to cross the uncrossable border of the friend zone, nothing could have prepared me for this. After years of swearing I’d end up alone thinking that I deserved to be alone. After all that time pushing away the one…I was officially done.

I inhaled her sweet scent, further catapulting me into a dizzying abyss. “I’d map out your body, taking in your favorite spots and bookmarking them for future reference.”

“Bookmarking,” she snickered.

“Okay, bad choice of words.” She may have been laughing now, but in just a few moments I’d make sure her giggles were replaced by sighs. I leaned forward, allowing our noses to graze each other and bit back a growl that was working inside my throat, forcing out a raspy question. “Then you know how I’d kiss you?”

“No,” she whispered.

“Like this.”

Without another moment’s hesitation I licked my lips and quickly pressed them against her supple pair. I grabbed onto the back of her neck with one hand and allowed the other to continue its exploration of her body. Prying my mouth open, I took her plump bottom lip between my own and plunged my tongue into her warmth, gently showing her how much she meant to me.

That is until Rocky took matters into her own hands. Grabbing around my neck, Rocky dove into my body, pressing her breasts against my chest, causing me to crash onto the couch. Our kisses became more intense, hurried, as if finally getting a taste of water after years in the hot desert. If anything, that’s what we were, weren’t we? Two survivors finally on the verge of their oasis.

This is wrong, Jesse. Stop it.

As if a light bulb switched off in my head, I carefully pushed her off me and wriggled myself toward the arm of the couch. Common sense still won out against everything else.

“What’s wrong?” Her chest heaved up and down, and if I wasn’t mistaken, I could make out the thrashing of her pulse against the crook of her neck. It mimicked the pounding of my own heart.

I swallowed. “That…was great.”

She smiled a bit arrogantly, but that smile soon washed off her face. She looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to say more.

I bowed my head slightly. “But I promised myself I’d never drag you down with me.”

“Huh?”

“I wanted to do this for a long time. A very long time,” I admitted.

She raised her hand in confusion. “So why…”

Though it was torture keeping my feelings to myself, it was even more painful saying it out loud. “Because I always thought I wasn’t good enough for you. You deserve a good guy like Ethan. I mean, I hated him from the moment I saw him because he was who I wanted to be in more ways than one.”

She rolled her eyes. “If this is about being privileged—”

“It’s not. You deserve somebody your parents want for you. A person who’s stable—”

“You’re stable!” She cut me off with irritation. “Isn’t that the reason why you brought me here? To show me that?”

I bit my lip and allowed my eyelids to fall slightly. As hard as I tried to fight it, I couldn’t help but let the feelings of insecurity once again wrap its ugly claws around my heart. “Can you clarify something for me?”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so.” She blinked, frowning heavily.

“Everything you did with me in high school…you did it because you wanted to, right? Not because you felt sorry for me? Not because in some way you were trying to get back at your parents for smothering you?”

I need to know this. As much as I don’t want to know it, I need it.

Her eyes widened in understanding. “Of course I did it because I wanted to. I told you that from the start.”

I shook my head. “But you said it was to protect me. That means you felt sorry for me.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Her eyes darted around as if she were piecing together erratic thoughts. When they landed on me once again I saw a determination in them that I was most grateful for. “What about New Year’s Eve? I kissed you then, didn’t I? That wasn’t me feeling sorry for you.”

I felt my cheeks warm. “I know I gave you a hard time about that, but I guess I was desperate to hide how much it meant to me…especially if you only did so because you were trying to find an excuse to dump Ethan.”

“Would you stop mentioning him?” She just about groaned.

Remembering Sloan, I felt a familiar twinge of anger and embarrassment. “Wouldn’t be the first time I was used to make a boyfriend jealous, but it would be the first time I felt hurt about it.”

She looked horrified. “You know I wouldn’t do that. I kissed you that night because—”

“Because you were caught up in the moment.” Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it before.

“No…” Her voice dropped by octaves. She visibly swallowed and pressed her lips together before answering. “I mean, I was, but only in the way that it gave me the courage to do something I’ve always wanted to do.”

I watched silently as she fidgeted. Though I wanted nothing more than to take her right then and there, I knew it wouldn’t be right. She seemed so…lost. Ignoring my pent up frustration, I mentally prepared myself to put an end to all this, but my dear Rocky was once again full of surprises.

Her voice was no longer small and meek, it sounded empowered. With blazing eyes she cooed, “Just like I’ve always wanted to do this,” before nudging her petite body against mine. Momentarily caught by shock, I quickly regained my focus, plunging my tongue into her mouth. Grabbing onto whatever part of her body I could, I massaged her skin in time with how my tongue caressed hers.

Sweet. Just like I always knew it would be.

I soon lost myself to the rhythm of her light touches, groaning each time she grabbed onto my hair, pulling lightly as if she were afraid I’d run away.

Not this time.

Then just like that, I froze. Once we hit this point of no return, there really was no going back for me. I couldn’t spend another five years denying what my heart wanted. “Rocky…you know that…I mean, you could tell that…”

“Jesse, you’re making me nervous right now. What’s wrong?” Her mouth trembled in worry.

I lifted my chin and sighed. “You know this isn’t just messing around to me, right?”

“Huh?”

“I know I was giving you a hard time about using me, but you know I didn’t mean it.”

“Uh, yeah. Of course not.”

I had to tell her. There was no more holding back. “You know I…I always loved you, right? I have always loved you. From the moment your dorky self said, ‘Hi, welcome to our bio group,’ to the day we sat on those bleachers and said goodbye. I have never stopped thinking about you.”

The words tumbled out of my mouth so effortlessly. How? After all those years denying them, it was as if my words took on a life of their own.