The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(44)

“And what’s that?”

“I don’t like to be challenged.”

She got up and, in one fluid motion, flopped on the cushion beside me. Intrigued, I folded my arms and sat back, waiting to see what she would do next. Not wanting to scare her off or make her change her mind, I didn’t move. My eyes watched her every movement. Every deep breath that she took. Every inch she slid closer.

I had lied. Sort of. Taylor did have me in the palm of her hand. She just didn’t realize it. Not like the other girls. They used their bodies to get what they wanted from me. Cheesy as it was, Taylor used her heart. I did whatever she wanted just to make her happy. Hell, that was the reason we were in this relationship to begin with.

Like I said, Taylor wasn’t like any of the other girls. She was sweet. Fun. And it was easy to be with her. No games. I didn’t feel like I had to impress her like the other girls. With them, I had a reputation to uphold. With Taylor, I thought she’d rather forget I had a reputation at all. Hell, even her inexperience made things fun.

She wasn’t acting inexperienced now, though. I didn’t know who this girl was and what had come over her, but I couldn’t be happier. This was the first time that she had ever taken charge. God, it was hot.

And she was taking her sweet time. Every inch that she got closer felt like an hour. I didn’t think it was possible, but the waiting made things even hotter. We weren’t even touching yet, and my nerves were already going haywire.

Finally, she laid her hand on my shoulder and leaned toward me. Her fingertips played with the sleeve of my T-shirt, sliding beneath it to stroke my arm. My skin. I could smell her breath—feel it—minty and warm on my cheek. My heart started pumping overtime. My hands fell to my side and clenched tightly, fighting the urge to grab her.

Right before her lips touched mine, they quirked into a smirk, as though she knew exactly how affected I was, even though I tried to hide my eagerness. Another thing I didn’t know about Taylor. She was a tease. A major one.

Even though I was dying to deepen the kiss, I held back, determined to let her set the pace. It took all my willpower to stick to that when her hand slid even farther and stroked my chest. Her touch was light and brief, but each spot she touched was burning and made me ache for more. Don’t grab her. Don’t push her against the cushions. Don’t—

Damn it, why didn’t I wear a baggier shirt today?

With her lips still on mine, she snuggled even closer until she was almost straddling my left leg. And she didn’t do it very gracefully, either. Her knee jabbed my thigh. I grunted and shifted my position so she wouldn’t accidentally hit me in the wrong area and ruin the night. Hell, if she hit me there, it would probably ruin my entire week.

When the danger was gone and everything was protected, my hand ran through her hair, letting the soft strands wrap around my fingers as I held her as close as I could. The hell with letting her call the shots. This was the closest I’d been to a girl in ages, and I was a starving man at a buffet. Taylor in a field of mushrooms.

Taylor didn’t seem to mind. Her arms wrapped around my neck and pulled me upward until our bodies were plastered to each other. My hands slid down her back, hesitating for a few seconds when I felt the warm, soft skin between the hem of her t-shirt and the top of her shorts. She stiffened and stopped the kiss, but she didn’t push me away. Instead, she rested her forehead against my neck as though she were enjoying my caress. I ran my finger along the edge and wondered if I could get away with reaching in and—

A small voice spoke up. “Taylor?”

Taylor jerked upright and jumped off my lap within a blink of an eye, shoving me away from her side. Her cheeks grew blotchy and red as she tried to fix her hair. “Hey, Kimmy. Did you—did you just wake up?”

Kimmy rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn so wide, I could see a silver filling on the bottom right side. “Yeah, I wasn’t sleepy.”

“Talk about bad timing,” I muttered, grunting when Taylor smacked my shoulder. “Urgh, I mean, that sucks. Are you sure you’re not sleepy? Maybe some milk or NyQuil to help? It’s yummy.” Taylor smacked me even harder.

Kimmy didn’t take the hint. Instead, she planted herself on the floor right between us. Her face was propped on the couch cushion and her eyes were wide as she stared at us. The fact that I was still turned on made things more than just a little awkward.

Taylor let out a sigh. “Fine, you can stay up a little longer, but after that, you have to go straight to bed.” Her eyes flickered to my hopeful face. “When Evan goes home.”

Damn, she couldn’t get any more blunt than that. Playtime was over, and another cold shower was waiting for me when I got home. I stifled another groan and slumped down on the cushions.

Kimmy’s eyes lit up, and she crawled up on the couch beside us. “Do you want to play date night with us, Evan?”

Taylor coughed and frantically waved her hands. “No, no, I don’t think he wants to play.”

Her panicked tone piqued my interest. “Why not? What’s the date-night game?”

“It’s when I get Taylor ready for her date,” Kimmy said brightly, while Taylor buried her face in a blue tasseled pillow behind her sister’s back.

“Real date?”

“No, Taylor never goes on real dates.” She let out a squeal when Taylor clasped her hand on her mouth.