Chapter 26

I dare you to kiss me

"I kissed you."

A heavy breath leaves my lips. "You did."

I can't stop thinking about that night. I was drunk, and fucked up over spending the whole night watching the girl I love in the arms of some other guy. I wanted her so bad that I didn't even stop her when she leaned in and kissed me. I let her. I kissed her back and got lost in her, starving for a taste of heaven when I'd been denied it for years.

But it wasn't long until the rational part of my brain took over, and I stopped it. I pulled my lips away from hers, realizing she was only kissing me because she was drunk, and sad. Sad about her mom, sad about being dumped the night of the prom.

She didn't want me.

She just wanted somebody .

And I really wish I could have been that someone for her, but I couldn't. It would have hurt too fucking much. So I pulled away, tucked her into me, and waited until she fell asleep before crawling out of her bedroom window.

"And you kissed me back," she says, her eyebrows dipping. I can see the memory of that night flooding back to her like a hurricane, and I can't do anything to stop it.

I don't want to.

I've been carrying this part of her, of us for so long knowing she didn't remember what happened, that now that she does, it lifts a weight off my shoulders.

I swallow hard and nod. "Yeah."

Her eyes widen with surprise. "I was your first kiss?" she asks, shaking her head in disbelief. "You hadn't kissed anyone before me?"

Her blue eyes shimmer under the dark blue lights of the hot tub, and I shake my head. "No."

She furrows her brow. "But what about Taylor?" she asks, her hair swirling around in the water as she moves closer.

"Nothing ever happened with her," I tell her. "Or with anyone else."

She sucks in a breath, her gorgeous eyes swimming with uncertainty, and I have a feeling I know what she's going to ask.

The bubbles from the hot tub fill the silence as Gabi takes another step closer, her brows furrowing, and she locks eyes with me. "Why?"

I lift my hand out of the water and run it through my hair. "Why do you think, Gabi?" My heart pounds in my chest as she processes my words, her eyes widening with realization.

"You..." She frowns, shaking her head. "But you left," she says, searching my eyes for answers. "You left that night and didn't come back. You didn't want me back."

"You think I didn't want you?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at her. "You think I don't still want you?"

"You..." Her eyes widen. "You do?"

I'm done pretending that every breath I take isn't for her. That the reason I smile, the reason I feel anything , isn't because of her.

"I can't remember a time when I didn't," I say, pouring my heart out as I swim closer to her. "You're all I've ever wanted, Gabi."

Tears well up in her beautiful blue eyes and she shakes her head. "How long?"

"What?"

"How long, Chris?" she repeats. "How long have you had feelings for me?"

I close my eyes, avoiding her gaze. I know what she wants to know. She's wondering if it broke my heart to see her with every boyfriend she'd had along the years.

I open my eyes and meet hers. "Since the day I met you," I confess.

She covers her mouth with her hand, shaking her head in disbelief. "All this time?"

My jaw ticks, and my heart aches. I don't know what she's thinking. Does she hate me for not saying anything? I don't know what I'll do if she walks away from me, and I never see her again.

"I never should have brought it up," I say, reaching out for her. But I hesitate and let my hand drop. "This doesn't have to change anything. We can just—"

"Don't you dare say we can just go back to how it was," she interrupts, anger flickering in her eyes.

My chest heaves with each heavy breath, our eyes locked together. "Isn't that what you want?"

She steps closer. "Is that what you want?"

I can't lie to her. Not anymore. "No."

She sucks in a breath, and like a moron, I move in closer until we're inches apart. I can't fight this. I've tried, and failed for years. I'm done trying.

"Prove it," she whispers, pressing her hands flat against my chest, making me suck in a breath as she trails her hands higher, and higher until they lift out of the water, and wrap around my neck. "Kiss me."

Either my brain short-circuited or I've just heard the love of my life tell me to kiss her. I blink, furrowing my brows. "What?"

She lifts onto her tip-toes until our lips are stacked, but she keeps her eyes on mine. "I dare you to kiss me."

A shaky breath escapes me. "I didn't pick dare."

"I know."

"I don't back down from a dare," I remind her.

"I know that, too."

My hands fly to her hips, and I almost can't believe she's right here, in my arms, telling me what I've always wanted to hear. "If we kiss, it will change everything," I tell her as one last resort to stop her from doing this if she's going to regret it in the morning.

She shakes her head, the breath of her lips landing on mine. "I'm sick of everything being the same."

I frown, squeezing her hips. "That isn't a good enough reason."

"How about because I want you too," she says, pressing the lightest of kisses against my jaw. My body tingles from her touch. "Because I might not have realized my feelings when you did, but because I've wanted you for so long, too."

"You have?"

She pulls back, and nods, her eyes hooding slightly. It's not from alcohol, though, or fatigue, but pure lust coating her beautiful blue eyes. "I dare you, Chris. I dare you to—"

I don't even let her finish her sentence.

My lips land on hers, and she moans into my mouth the second I do.

And fuck me, it's the sweetest sound I've ever heard, the best melody, my favorite song. I could listen to it all day.

Her lips part, and I trace my tongue over hers, my hand lowering to the nape of her neck, trailing until I grip her soft hair in my hand.

Gabi tangles her fingers in my hair, and I can't help but let out a groan. "God, Gabi," I pant, wrapping my arms around her legs before I lift her around my waist. Another sweet little sound leaves her lips when she straddles my waist, and it makes me lose my goddamn mind.

"I can't believe I didn't remember," she mumbles against my lips. "How could I not remember we kissed before?"

"I don't blame you," I pant, pausing to take a breather before I kiss her again. "You were so drunk."

She pulls back, with a frown on her beautiful face. "But you remember."

I clutch her face in my hands, running my thumb over her bottom lip, which is puffy and red from my kisses. "I could never forget it," I tell her, my brows furrowing with the memory. "Your taste haunted me for years."

She leans into my touch, breathing heavily. "And now?"

"You taste better than I ever remembered," I murmur, bringing our lips together again.

She wraps her fingers in my hair again and tugs. A groan builds in my throat when I feel her move her hips up and down, grinding against my cock. I let out a low moan, and she eats up my noises as she continues moving her hips, rubbing her pussy over me, only our underwear as a barrier. "Gabi—fuck."

"Chris," she pants, leaving my mouth to kiss my jaw. "Take it off," she begs, making her words clear when she grinds against my cock. "I want to feel you."

Jesus.

I turn around with her still in my arms, place her on the ledge, and hop out of the hot tub. Her eyes, soft and blue, follow me as they drop to my chest, both of us breathing heavily. "I want to lick you all over," she says, running her tongue over her lips.

I let out a laugh, closing the distance to kiss her again. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop now that I've had a taste. "You can do whatever you want to me."

She grins, straddling my waist, and pushes at my chest until I lie back on the ground, gazing up at her. She leans down, brushing her lips against mine, and I get lost in her, grabbing her hips when she begins rocking over me in a figure eight motion.

"Fuck," I breathe out, feeling the heat of her pussy over my cock.

She pulls back with a grin before leaning in again, flicking her tongue over the length of my lips, then trailing down to my jaw and neck.

"Ughhh, fuck." Moans are ripped from my throat as she keeps licking me, flicking her tongue over my chest, moving slowly downward to my stomach.

"I love the noises you make," she murmurs, kissing my stomach.

My hand tangles in her hair. "Good, ‘cause I can't fucking stay quiet when you do that."

She lifts her head, smirking down at me. "How about when I do this?" She runs her hand down my stomach, reaching lower until she grabs my cock over my boxers.

My hips fly up at the contact. "Oh, fuck," I groan. Fuck. Fuck . She touched me for two seconds, and I'm about to come.

Gabi looks down at her hand over my junk, and she grips it tighter. "I'm holding your dick."

"Yeah." A laugh bubbles out of me.

She rubs me over my boxers. "How do you feel about that?"

I shake my head. How do you explain what heaven on earth feels like? "So fucking good."

"It's not weird?" she asks, tilting her head. "We've been best friends a long time."

I smirk, rubbing my thumb over her cheek. "You forget I've been fantasizing about you for years."

Her eyes widen a little, as if remembering how long I've wanted her, and she licks her lips. "Me too," she admits, sending my heart soaring. "The day I caught you in the shower…"

"I thought I'd traumatized you."

She shakes her head, a grin spreading across her face. "The opposite," she says. "I couldn't stop thinking about how I wished you would have done something," she admits, making my heart pound out of my chest.

"I thought you didn't want me that way," I tell her.

She shakes her head. "I always want you. In every way," she says, punctuating her sentence by reaching into my boxers, and gripping my cock.

"God, Gabi." My head tilts back. "Me too."

I lift my head when I feel her tugging my boxers down, and my pulse races, quickening with each second of her hands on me. I stare down at her face, watching as she keeps her eyes on her hand wrapped around me, until she leans down to tongue the slit.

"Oh fuck." I groan at the feel of her tongue slowly licking me. Her tongue swirls around the head before she wraps her mouth around me, and gives me a long suck. My hips shoot up off the floor, thrusting into her mouth. "Fuuuuck."

She pulls off me, running the tip of her tongue over my whole length. "I want you inside me," she murmurs before taking my cock between her lips again.

"God fucking dammit," I curse, my dick twitching in her hand when she pulls off me again.

"You want that?" she asks, the sight of her making me lightheaded.

"Yes," I pant, my vision going blurry. "God, yes." I tug on her hand, lifting her up until she's straddling me again, and grinds herself over my cock. "Ummfff." My eyes squeeze closed, my dick thrusting along her slit covered by her panties.

"You're so beautiful," Gabi says, tugging on my hair as she leans down to kiss me.

My hands fumble as I try to pull down her lacy black thong. Nerves wrack through me, making my hands shake and my breath erratic.

"Hey, hey." Gabi stops moving, pulling back to cup my face in her hands, her brows furrowed with concern. "What's wrong?"

I shake my head. "Sorry. Fuck." I close my eyes, breathing out a sigh. "I just… I want you so fucking bad."

Her lips curve into a smile, and she leans in, kissing me softly. "I want you, too."

She shuffles off my lap, standing up before she pulls her panties off. I breathe so hard it feels like I'm running out of oxygen. When she sits down again, we both moan at the feeling of her bare pussy rubbing over my dick.

A soft whimper leaves her lips as she moves her hips. "Put your cock in me."

Fuck . Her words make a shiver run up my spine. I don't waste any time, wrapping my fist around my dick, rubbing it between her slit, before lining up at her entrance.

A groan rips from my throat when I thrust the tip inside, and Gabi takes over, slowly dropping down onto my cock until she's buried to the hilt.

"Oh fuck," I grunt, gripping her hips in place. "Fuck, Gabi, you feel…" I heave out a breath when she lifts her hips and drops back down, taking all of me inside of her.

"God," she moans, making my cock twitch inside her. "So do you."

I lie back, lifting her hips, and help her move up and down on my cock. "You're so wet, and tight, and fuck ," I moan, pleasure curling my spine every time her tight pussy grips me inside her.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, I flip us both over, and she gasps as she finds herself on her back. I shoot her a grin as I line up, and thrust back inside of her warm heat.

Gabi tips her head back, moaning as my cock tunnels into her. "You feel so fucking good," she pants.

"I've been thinking about this forever," I admit, pinning her hands above her head. Her tits move with every thrust and my eyes drop to them, seeing the metal bars poking through the wet, thin, lace fabric.

I groan at the sight, and lift my hands, trying to pull her bra off her body.

"There's a… hook… Oh god." Her words fall flat when I flick my thumb over her pierced nipples.

Fuck. They're even hotter than I imagined.

"I wanted to see these for so long," I tell her, leaning down to flick my tongue over her pretty pink nipples, with a silver, metal bar through them.

She moans when I suck them into my mouth. "I thought of you when I got them done," she says, making me snap my head to her. I arch a brow. She did? "I wanted to tell you," she admits, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. "To show you."

My brows furrow as I thrust into her. "I would have died," I tell her. "I haven't stopped thinking about them since I saw them poking through your tank top."

She tilts her head back, her pretty lips parting with a moan. "I'm so close. Please."

I groan at the feel of her walls tightening around me. "Oh shit. I can feel you." I push deeper into her, pleasure surrounding my body. "Fuck, I'm not going to last."

She shakes, gripping my hair to make me look down at her. "Come inside me. I want to see you come."

My hips keep moving, but my brows dip. "I want you to come first." She squeezes her pussy around me, making a jolt of pleasure tingle in my balls. "Oh fuck," I groan.

"Come," she orders me. Fuck, that's so hot . "Fill me up."

"Jesus, Gabi," I grunt, thrusting a few more times before I spill inside her. I feel her pussy fluttering around me as the orgasm crashes into her, and I keep pushing my cock into her, the pleasure mind-numbingly good, until I'm completely spent.

I fall to the ground beside her, my cock still deep inside Gabi. I don't want to pull out, not just yet. I want to feel her a little longer. "That was so much better than I ever imagined."

Gabi lets out a chuckle, and shuffles closer, lying her head on my bare chest, her piercing blue eyes looking up at me. "We just had sex," she says, a smirk tugged at her gorgeous lips.

I glance down at her, trying to regulate my breathing. "Yeah."

"How was it?" she asks, wagging her eyebrows playfully, which makes me laugh.

"So fucking good," I tell her. "Better than I ever thought it could be," I admit, leaning in to kiss her. Her eyes shimmer with happiness as she looks up at me, and my heart swells with emotion.

"I love you," I confess, swallowing my nerves as I watch her smile fade slightly, her eyes widening in surprise. "This might be the wrong time to say it, but… I can't keep pretending I don't. I loved you when we were fifteen. I loved you when we were eighteen, and I love you now." Her breathing quickens, and I keep my gaze locked on her blue eyes, caressing her cheek with my thumb. "I never stopped loving you, Gabi. Not for a single moment."

She stares back at me, her lips slightly parted, her breaths heavy. Shit. Did I rush things too quickly? But when she leans down to kiss me, my heart settles. "I love you too," she murmurs against my lips. "So fucking much."

My smile widens as our lips meet, and I lose myself in her. In her scent, her taste, just her. She's everything I've ever wanted for so long that it feels like I'm dreaming.

She shifts her hips, and my cock twitches inside her. "We didn't use a condom," she points out, making me pull back, my eyes widening.

Fuck. "No." I rake a hand through my hair. "Is that… Are you on—"

"I'm on birth control," she affirms, nodding. "But I forgot to ask you if you were negative."

I stiffen.

Gabi lifts her head, furrowing her brows. "I've never been with a guy without a condom. I'm not usually so reckless but…" She shakes her head. "I didn't think. Not with you. You were right here, and I wanted you more than anything and—"

"It's okay, Gabi," I reassure her, clutching her face in my hands, and place a kiss on her forehead. "We were both at fault. It didn't even cross my mind," I admit.

"I always got checked whenever I slept with someone," she says, glancing at me. "And I haven't been with anyone in over a year."

My brows knit together, and I can't help but think about Gabi with other people. I know she's been with others, as she's told me, including her first time with a girl, but jealousy courses through me nonetheless.

"What about you?" she asks me.

"What about me?"

She shrugs, a hint of uncertainty flickering in her eyes as she shifts her gaze away for a moment before meeting mine again. "I don't really want to hear about any other girls you've been with but we should—"

"I haven't."

Her brows furrow in confusion. "Huh?"

"I haven't been with any other girls. You're my first."