When Our Worlds Collide (Our Worlds #1)(41)
The kiss continued feverishly and with that I am comfortably secure in the arms of a boy whose world is much darker than I imagine is possible, whose secrets dig far deeper than what I have dreamed up in my own head, and whose life may not be as perfect as he has led us all to believe. None of that matters because from last night to this morning everything has changed.
Chapter TwentyTwo
-Graham-
My initial plan, the simple plan that I swore by, was to stay away from Kennedy as if she is the carrier of a new bubonic plague. It seemed like the right thing to do until now. Explaining to her last night that I’m not this nice guy that she convinced herself I am and that I’m not worth befriending was awkward. She refuses to admit to the truth no matter what I say. I know it is only a matter of time till I screw up. I always screw everything up. Something as easy as this can’t last forever. I have already managed to disturb her life enough and the last thing I want is to make things more complicated for her. Everything about me screams complicated.
All that self-loathing aside, I don’t regret what I had done last night lying in bed with her or the kiss we just shared. It is something that had to happen. I could see it in her eyes as she brushed her slender fingers down my face and onto my chest that she needed it just as badly as I had. Her lips are the nearest thing to perfection. I knew they would be. I can’t seem to force my eyes away from them when she’s in front of me. The pull and attraction towards her isn’t something to be easily explained. The affection just was there…ever present without waver.
As she’s still below me looking up at me with wondrous eyes, I’m trying not to put my full weight on her. I can’t muscle up an excuse to not be in this moment with her. It’s new, something to strive for. Something worth doing, even if it would screw everything else up.
Through ragged breaths she parts her lips from mine. “Graham…” she whimpers making me stand at half mass. From just saying my name? Christ. I tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear and she shutters under my touch. To know that I do that to her makes me want her even more. I push the thought back.
“Kennedy,” I whisper lower than necessary.
“We should probably get ready for school.” We both glanced over at her alarm clock as it continues to beep in reminder that we need to get up. We must have been too wrapped up in each other to notice it go off. I carefully roll over onto my back lying beside her unsure of where we are supposed to go from here. I stare up at the ceiling trying not to kick myself for what had just happened.
Kennedy’s nothing like the other girls I have wasted time with in the past. She’s unsure of herself somehow even with how bright and beautiful she is. That’s what’s so damn endearing about her. I can’t just turn my back on her and I don’t understand why I’m allowing myself to be entranced by her innocence. What is with this girl that has me all worked up?
Most girls got the boot in the morning if they were lucky enough to make it through the night. As I watch Kennedy sit up in bed stretching her back I notice every muscle contort with her movement. The motions are rhythmic. She clearly has the body of a dancer, but luckily still has that appealing curve that makes your eyes wander a tad bit too long on her hips and chest.
Kennedy goes into the bathroom shutting the door behind her without looking back at me as I lay in her bed. After a few minutes the shower turns on. There’s a hint of a humming coming from the other side of the door just loud enough to hear through the stream of water. I’m racking my brain about what that kiss meant when her cellphone starts beeping on her nightstand. I pick it up. It was an obvious invasion of her privacy and none of my business. I look at the message screen to see a missed text from Craig.
Son of a bitch.
I don’t read it quickly pushing the button on the side to black out the screen. I have a good feeling I know what it’s about. I turn the door knob of the bathroom without knocking. The door swings open to a very wet Kennedy wrapping a towel around her body just in time. I was seconds too late from seeing her entire body in all its glory. I swallow hard as she looks straight ahead staring at herself in the mirror before turning her attention to me punishingly slow. She knows I’m standing here, but doesn’t shy away like I assume she will, how she should have.
“Umm…I probably knock next time, huh? That was stupid of me, but your phone went off and I thought that it might have been important,” I explain extending my hand for Kennedy to grab the phone from me. She comes up a few feet short forcing her to step out of the tub to make several short strides until she’s directly in front of me. Our chests are close enough to each other that every time she takes a breath in and out it bumps against mine.
The only thing that stands between Kennedy and I is a miniscule towel that barely skims the top of her thighs. Anyone would have expected a girl like her to shy away from standing in front of anyone, especially someone like me, with dripping wet hair that’s clinging to her damp skin. The moisture causes a dew to plaster every inch of her pale skin. I have to fight back the urge to bend down and kiss the pool of water that gathers at her collarbone.
Instead I cast my hand down her arm picking up the remnants of her shower on my finger. Standing this close to her I can smell her body-wash or maybe it’s her shampoo. It infiltrates my senses and forces me to take slow deep breaths to try to memorize it. It’s sweet and has a hint of coconut and vanilla, something that I don’t ever want to forget. Not sure if she has noticed what I’m doing, but she tilts her head up towards me exposing her neck. It’s an invitation, if I have ever seen one before.