Page 17 of Imperfect Match (Imperfect Match 1)
“You don’t get to teach me a lesson,” I say as I stand on the threshold of his room with my arms crossed.
“Wills?”
“You don’t come over to my house and think that you can do ... whatever it is you did just now, and then leave.”
He starts to move off the bed. “What did I do?”
“You ... you know.”
“No, I don’t.” Reid takes a few steps toward me. He’s wearing sweat pants, but he’s bare-chested. “Why are you awake?”
“Because I can’t sleep.”
“Why can’t you sleep?”
Because of you and that’s stupid, right?
I can’t say that, though.
Even in the darkness, that stupid feeling is in my stomach. I wanted it to go away. I hoped the anger and time that’s passed would’ve ebbed because this is Reid. Reid, my stupid best friend who I cuddle on the couch with. The one who makes weird faces and eats my food. He’s not the guy that makes my heart race.
He’s never been that guy. Not even shirtless.
But right now, my chest is tight and my pulse is through the roof.
“I don’t know, but …” I can’t finish my sentence.
“I can’t sleep either,” he says.
“Well, it serves you right!” And then I wonder, is it because he’s just as confused as I am?
“Why?”
Because I wanted you to kiss me. Because I stuck your stupid fork in my mouth, wondering what your lips would taste like on mine. Because I can’t stop remembering how you felt against me.
Oh, God. Coming here was a bad idea.
Reid moves closer. “Why are we both up, Willow? Why do you think I can’t sleep and neither can you?”
His chest is right there. He’s so close, and I can smell the faint hint of musky soap from the shower he must’ve just taken. Our bodies are almost touching and I can’t move. If something happens, it will be intentional, not because he got a glimpse of me naked.
This may have started as an anger thing, but it’s clear that right now, it’s all about desire.
“I don’t know,” I manage to say.
His finger pushes a piece of hair behind my ear. “Why did you come here?”
Why is he asking me this? Does he not see that we’re both crazy and this is stupid and wrong?
Reid and I aren’t attracted to each other. Not really. This is just some weird mood thing or maybe my sister put a hex on me for something I did. He and I aren’t anything. I mean, we’re not this.
I wish I could tell my body that. With him so close, it would be so easy to lean up, press my lips to his. We could just ... try.
“What are we doing?” I ask him, needing to make sense of my jumbled-up mind.
He looks down at me and shakes his head. “I don’t know.”
Neither do I, but I do know that this will change everything, and not in the way I’ve imagined. We won’t be able to go back in time and be the friends we’ve always been. Sex could ruin everything.
