Creed smirks, and I do my best not to sigh as his scent overwhelms me. He always smells so damn clean, like laundry detergent on fresh crisp cotton, hung out in the bright sun and brisk breeze to dry. Wow, Marnye, waxing poetic much?
"It's true." He leans in close and presses a kiss next to my left eye. My body shudders, and I hear him make this satisfied male sound. "I've been on pins and needles. And you have no idea how much I want to punch Zack."
"He's a good guy," I whisper, but it's so hard to think with Creed this close to me, his uniform just slightly disheveled, the top three buttons undone and revealing just a glimpse of flat, smooth chest underneath.
He makes a small sound of acknowledgement, but that's about it.
"I want to kiss you so bad right now," Creed drawls, and my pulse skyrockets. I can hear the blood pounding in my head.
"What's stopping you?" I whisper back, and his half-lidded eyes go wide. As slowly and lazily as he does everything else, he moves his front hand from the shelf and places it on my hip. His other hand comes up and he tickles beneath my chin with his long fingers. My head drops back and my eyes close as he leans in toward me.
Our mouths brush, but just barely. It's too much of a tease, and I feel myself start to shake with all of this suppressed need, all these crazy hormones. I've spent two years chasing after and being chased by the Idols. At this point in our relationship, we're working on forgiveness, and trying to build new friendships.
Before, there were obstacles in front of us every time we kissed, whether I was aware of them or not.
But right now, there's nothing but air.
Lifting up on my toes, I complete the contact, my lips pressing tight against his.
Heat sears through me, and Creed surges forward, pressing his entire body against mine. His knee goes between my legs, and his right arm sweeps my waist. My back is now pressed tight to the books, the front of my body rubbing against Creed. I can feel my nipples tighten to hard points, my core flush with warmth.
Creed parts my lips with his tongue, tasting me, and making this rough sound that's so at odds with his insouciant personality that I'm almost startled into putting my hands on his shoulders. He presses deeper into me, testing my limits, but I'm completely relaxed. I want to see what happens when we kiss without restraint.
My right hand slides down, and I slip it inside his shirt, feeling the warmth of his skin against my palm. He groans, and I forget for a minute that we're in the library. My hand comes down and I forcefully part a few more of those buttons.
"Fuck," he curses after a minute, turning his head away from mine. We're still all pressed together, and with my right hand, I can feel his heart thundering in his chest. "Damn it. Why do I like you so much?"
"My winning personality?" I joke, and Creed snorts, but we're both panting and shaking. There's a tension inside of me, like a string's been pulled taut between my lips and my core. I want … more. More than this. So much more. "The real question should be: why do I like you? You're a major jerk, Creed Cabot."
"An insufferable asshole," he agrees, turning back to look at me. This time, the heavy-lidded bedroom eyes aren't just for show. This time, I can tell he wants more, too. Creed's kind of a … virgin. That's what Miranda said. Do I believe it? Does it matter?
Or maybe it does?
Maybe I'd rather lose my virginity to another virgin?
Or am I overthinking this?
"We should get back to the project," I whisper, but I don't take my hand out of his shirt.
"I'm not going to lie: I have a raging hard-on right now. I am absolutely not going back to write about crusty old white dudes."
"You …" I start, but then words just fail me. I'm stuck between a giggle and a fresh bloom of lust. My eyes drift down, but Creed beats me to it by grabbing one of my hands and placing it right over the hard bulge in his crotch. I make a small sound, and he groans. When he lets go of me, I don't move my hand.
We're both staring at each other now, panting hard, quivering with need.
"Marnye!" I hear Miranda call my name cheerfully from the study area, and I know she's found our stuff. She'll know we're here.
It's like a bucket of ice water's been thrown over the two of us. Creed jerks back and turns, raking his fingers through his hair and cursing. Me, I shuffle back to the table and find Miranda leafing through one of the old yearbooks I pulled out.
