Kiss and Break Up (Magnolia Cove, #1)(85)

Once I could, I hit the bathroom and brushed the remnants of mushroom ravioli from my mouth, then I tried to do something about my hair, but it was a lost cause.

“Pegs.”

I turned and saw Mom leaning in my doorway, her head tilted curiously. “What are you doing?”

I stilled my clammy hands. “I told Dash to come over.” Then I panicked for a different reason. “Shit, I mean, crap. I forgot to ask you—”

She raised a hand. “That boy has never once asked permission to enter our home. But honey”—she raised a brow—“chill. And leave the door unlocked. I’ll be in the living room.”

I nodded even though she was gone, then jumped as my window flew up, and Dash flew in, the bed bouncing as I hurried to shut the door.

“That was quick.”

“Longest ten minutes of my life.” He kicked off his boots, and they landed in front of my desk. “Come here.”

I blinked, kind of stunned by his confidence, but then again, it was Dash. I took my time moving to the bed. He hooked his hands behind my legs when I reached him, bringing me between his thighs, thumbs caressing through the flannelette.

“Are you diving in?” he asked, and the edge of vulnerability in his gaze, to the planes of his face, and saturating his voice threatened to send me under in an instant.

My pounding heart was bruising my chest and every breath I tried to take without giving in.

Unable to take anymore, I tipped his chin and lowered my lips to hover over his. “Yeah. You win.”

“Freckles.” A silent laugh hit my mouth before his lips whispered across mine. “We both win.”





Seven months later

Dash



She was radiant, draped head to toe in moonlit silver that shimmered under the glow of the stars.

As I helped her out of the limousine I’d rented, my chest filled with something other than air. Warmth drenched each inhalation I took, furthering the heating of my heart and tightening each breath.

“You look like magic.”

Peggy pressed a hand to the tiny tiara tucked in her hair. Not by some dumbass rigged prom committee, but by me. “After a whole night of dancing?”

“Especially after that.” The driver closed the door, dipping his hat to me after I’d given him a generous tip, and then returned to his side of the car.

Slipping her hand inside mine, I picked up our overnight bag with the other and led her to the doors of the hotel. A few other students were checking in, but I didn’t give a shit. Let the hypocrites assume what they wanted. They were here with partners for the same reason.

Yeah, we hadn’t had sex. Over seven months together, and we’d still never done it. Though it didn’t mean we were new to each other’s bodies.

No fucking way.

I’d been willing to wait, even when she’d pushed, knowing this particular night would be the right time to rid the memories that sometimes soured her gray eyes whenever she caught sight of Woods or Kayla. But I’d gotten to know every delectable inch of her body in every other way I could, sometimes to the point of madness, as we explored late into the night.

We’d finish, we’d play a game, watch our movies, rip on each other, and then we’d start exploring all over again.

She was every fantasy brought to life. Not a day went by when I didn’t catch myself staring at her, even for just a moment, without feeling like I’d been given a gift I probably didn’t deserve. A gift handed to me before we could even mumble and trip over each other’s names. A gift I almost lost in a mixture of bad decisions and unrecognized feelings.

“What are you thinking about?” Peggy asked once we’d checked in and stepped into the elevator.

An older couple stood to one side, a woman with stiff cheeks smiling at us knowingly.

I didn’t return it, but Peggy did, while I flicked the button for the top floor. “You sure you want me to answer that while in the company of strangers?”

Peggy’s cheeks bloomed beneath the light layer of makeup covering her freckles. It didn’t cover them completely, and I planned to have her sweating enough that I could trace my tongue and fingers over them until the sun woke. “Keep your lips shut.”

I tugged her close, bending to brush my nose over the side of her head. “Are you sure? I think you’ll like what I was just thinking about.”

Her hand tightened in mine, but she otherwise remained silent until the elevator dinged and the couple stepped out.

When the doors closed, she gazed up at me. “Scale of one to ten?”

I pretended to think hard about it. “Eleven.”

She laughed, and I was about to shove her against the mirror and steal that laughter with my mouth when the doors reopened.

We exited and headed down the beige carpeted hall to one of the two penthouse suites. I didn’t know who’d booked the other one, and I didn’t care. I’d booked this four months ago, knowing the other spoiled brats at school wouldn’t wait too long to snatch one for themselves.

Peggy slid the key card in, the door beeped, and we pushed inside.

Her hand left mine as she wandered to the window. I set our bags down, then tugged my black tuxedo jacket off and flung it over the chair in the foyer.

Her hands pressed against the glass, her breath fogging it as she gazed at downtown and all the trees, water, and houses below. “It’s always felt so small.”