Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 107453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107453 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
“Yes, but sometimes I feel like I can’t help my mom either. I think I can, but I don’t have what she needs,” I say.
“What’s that?” Ledger asks.
I turn to him, feeling helpless all over again. “She misses my dad.”
Sadness crosses his eyes but understanding too. “I’m sorry.”
“I shouldn’t be such a downer. It’s a trip. An adventure. It’s not time for being sad,” I say, and as I walk, I hunt for happier topics. Games. Events. Food. Something. Anything. “What’s your favorite—”
My foot stumbles on the edge of the path.
Dev grabs my hand, jerking me close to him. My heart skitters. “You were about to step off the trail,” Dev says calmly, right as Ledger’s hand comes down on my hip, holding me firmly.
Dev’s eyes swing to the side of the path. Slowly, fearfully, I follow his gaze. Then gasp. There’s a sharp drop-off. A steep hillside. Maybe ten feet or so into the stream.
Right now, I’m up against Dev, my heart beating in my throat. I’m in front of Ledger, his hand curled on my hip. Neither man lets go.
I’m not afraid of a thing now. Although the fear of never kissing your brother’s best friends is a new one to add to the list.
I lift my chin, meet Dev’s eyes, and whisper, “Kiss me.”
22
THE PATH TO PROPER KISSING
Aubrey
Before I can even take back my words, and before Dev can even answer, Ledger’s hand curls tighter around my hip, holding me in place.
For his friend.
We’re standing on the narrow path, tall emerald trees protecting us on one side, the water bubbling several feet below us, the quiet of the afternoon cocooning us.
Dev’s eyes darken as he searches my face, like he’s making sure I mean it. Like he wants to be certain.
Ledger breaks the silence though. “You want this, honey?”
I shiver then nod several times. “I do.”
“You heard her then. Kiss the girl,” he says to Dev in a clear command, then ropes his other hand around my left hip.
He’s keeping me safe on the path so his friend can kiss me.
My head swims with desire.
Dev’s hand is still wrapped around mine. But as a sly smile tilts his lips, he lets go, lifting his big hand and touching my face instead. He slides his thumb along my jaw, and I shiver. His smile grows deeper. Hungrier.
Slowly, he traces my jawline under the afternoon sky, coasting from my cheek to my chin then back up, like he’s memorizing me with his hand. Time slows deliciously, melts into this gorgeous moment where he’s lingering on my face.
Anticipation thrills me. It races through me in a hot rush. I feel wobbly everywhere. Maybe it’s dangerous to kiss where I nearly stumbled.
But they’ve got me. I’m literally trapped between them. Ledger is pressed up against my back, his hard-on nudging my ass. Dev is crowding me, his strong frame molded to my body.
Ever so gently, Dev slides that thumb down, stopping at my chin and holding me as he dusts his lips against mine.
I gasp at the first touch.
I don’t know who murmurs—if it’s Dev or Ledger. But then I realize it’s both of them. There’s a soft groan behind me. A louder one in front. And lips tracing mine.
It’s the softest tease of a kiss. It’s temptation. It’s flirtation. It’s a promise of pleasure. A slow, unhurried kiss that pours through me. It’s a kiss that reaches the ends of me as Dev takes his time tasting, nibbling, ghosting his lips across my mouth.
It’s an ache of a kiss that makes me want so much more.
And it ends too soon when Dev breaks it, but he doesn’t look at me. He looks at Ledger with wicked intent. “You need to kiss her too. Really fucking soon.”
My knees wobble.
“It’s all I’ve thought about all day,” Ledger says, flooring me with his admission, turning me on too.
He tips his chin and nods ahead. “But not here.”
They march me along the path, and five minutes later, we’ve reached the bench set just beyond some trees, overlooking the water.
I’m heady with a new kind of anticipation. No one has talked; no one has said a word. I can’t wait a second longer. “Are you two going to kiss me again?”
Dev sounds unrepentant as he says, “We promised we wouldn’t.”
I’m double floored. “Wait. You talked about…this? About me?”
“Yes, before the trip,” Ledger says, and there’s no guilt in his tone either.
“So, before the trip you said you wouldn’t touch me?” I’m a little electrified from this news.
“On Saturday night,” Ledger says. “We set the rules. Made a deal. To resist you.”
One question zips through my mind—would you share me? Only, I don’t have to ask. It’s clear they would. “But now…are you going to break that promise?”
Ledger yanks me against his chest, threads a hand in my hair possessively. “Want us to?”