Hunter (Rosewood High #5) - Tracy Lorraine Page 0,1

having to kiss his little sister’s friend, but I zone them out and focus on Jake.

“They’re your friends, Jake.”

“Yeah, and you’re my family. The only decent one I got. I want the best for you, Popsicle.”

I roll my eyes at his overprotectiveness, although I can’t help but feel loved. It’s something I don’t feel all that often where my family is concerned. I think Jake is the only person who actually understands, who gets me. And for that, I’ll forever be grateful.

“It’s all good. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

He releases me, allowing me to slip into the closet.

I wait in the shadows for Zayn to join me while the hoots and hollers from his friends continue.

“Make sure she gives you one hell of a present, Hunter,” someone calls, making me swallow down the lump of anxiety that’s climbed up my throat.

It’s only a kiss. I can do that. It’s no biggie.

Right?

There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s only doing this because it’s a game. There’s no way in hell he’d ever willingly kiss me. I might have imagined what it would be like a time or two, but I suspect it never so much as crossed his mind, let alone in this capacity.

The door widens, allowing a sliver of light to illuminate me before it clicks shut, bathing us both in darkness.

My heart beats so wildly I swear he must be able to hear it. My hands tremble and my temperature spikes.

Every noise he makes sounds incredibly loud despite the fact I have blood rushing in my ears faster than I’m sure is natural as he closes the space between us.

“Poppy?” he asks, his voice sounding calm, like this is just an everyday occurrence for him.

I remind myself that it probably is. Jake, Zayn, and the others have girls hanging off them wherever they go. He’s probably well-practiced in this sort of thing.

“Y-yeah,” I whisper, hating that my voice cracks, showing my nerves.

The heat of his body hits mine. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to do this?”

His words throw me off for a second and it takes me longer than it should to register them.

“Y-you want to k-kiss me?” I sound pathetic and I kick myself for not sounding more confident.

“Yeah. There was no one else I wanted that bottle to land on. This is the only birthday present I wanted.”

“Oh God,” I practically whimper when his fingers find mine.

He steps into my body, pressing me back into the wall. I gasp at the feeling of his hard body against mine as his fingers tickle up my bare arm before he grasps the back of my neck.

“Ready?” he asks, his voice deeper than it was only moments ago.

My head spins as I fight to remember to breathe.

“Y-yeah, I—” I don’t get to finish my thought because his soft, full lips brush mine.

At just that small contact, my knees go weak. He must sense it because his other hand lands on my waist. It feels huge as his touch burns my skin, causing sensations to swell within me that I’ve never felt before.

His lips stay on mine, unmoving for what feels like forever but in reality, it’s probably not more than a second before his tongue teases at the seam of my lips.

I have no idea what I’m doing, but it doesn’t seem to matter because my body seems to know what’s expected of me and my lips part, allowing him entry.

If I didn’t already know he’d had experience, then I did in that moment as he took control of the kiss. His tongue sweeping against mine.

My arms stay rigid at my sides as his fingers twitch at my waist, obviously wanting to move, but he never moves.

He kisses me like I’ve seen on TV, but it feels nothing like I imagined. I’m not nervous. Not self-conscious. I just let myself go and allow him to sweep me away.

All too soon, he places a chaste kiss on my lips and backs away from me. I miss him almost instantly, to the point I actually reach out for him, but despite my eyes having adjusted to the darkness, I don’t manage to make contact with him.

“Poppy?” he asks again, his voice husky and rough, it does things to my insides I can’t explain.

“Yeah?” I ask eagerly, desperate to hear it again.

“Don’t repeat a word I said to you.”

Lead fills my veins at his warning. I should have known he was lying.

I’m too devastated to respond, desperately