Free Bad Girlfriend by Brooke Cumberland

she’s joking. “You’re serious?”
    “Yes, of course. It’s on my list,” she says matter-of-factly.
    “Is it written in stone?”
    “Under that one, yes.”
    I chuckle. “No promises.” She glares at me, but I ignore it. I inch closer, grabbing her waist and pulling us closer together, so we’re almost touching. “Princess, I guarantee you the moment your tongue tastes mine— again —you’ll be begging for more than just a fucking kiss. But I will promise you one thing…” I wrap my other hand behind her neck, pulling her mouth so close to mine our lips almost touch. “I won’t stop no matter what’s on your damn list,” I whisper.
    “I—” she begins, but I’m over our little conversation. I cut her off with my mouth, pulling her lips to mine before she can get another word out. She doesn’t hesitate inviting my tongue in, her hands gripping my shirt as she pulls me in tighter.
    We’re living in the present , I remind myself. As long as we aren’t talking about the past or expecting a future, I can enjoy my time with Kate for the rest of the week. My body reacts to her in a way I haven’t felt before, so I’m going to make the most of it while I can.
    My grip on her is firm, wanting to make sure I give her the kiss of her life. After all, it needs to be worth crossing off her list.
    I control the kiss, first soft and slow, then deep and possessive as if I can’t get enough. She kisses back with just as much desperate eagerness. My hand cups her face as my other one grips her waist, pulling her chest against mine.
    One of her hands explores my body, moving from my chest, down my stomach, and around to my back. She tightens her fist in my shirt as I tilt her neck back and kiss her with everything I have.
    “Kate,” I breathe out in a heavy pant, not wanting to release her, but somehow I manage. I rest my forehead on hers, feeling her heavy breaths against my neck. “Perhaps we should head back down before we fall.” The way things were escalating, the last thing we needed was to be perched on a tree limb.
    “Right,” she agrees, shaking her head. Her eyes are glazed over as I push myself away from her.
    “I’ll climb down first so I can help you.”
    “Okay.”
    I make it to the bottom and drop down, ready to direct her back down. She manages to do it was grace, much better than I expected, considering she’d never done it before. I wrap my hands around her waist as soon as I can reach her and she jumps off, directly into my arms.
    She turns around and smiles up at me. The intensity between is so thick, I’m not sure how to handle it.
    “So, how was your first time?” I smirk, shaking off the nerves.
    She snorts at my innuendo and shakes her head in approval. “It was great. Everything I imagined,” she says, playing along.
    “Glad to be of service.” I wink. “Well, you got to cross two things off your list at once. At that rate, you’ll be done in no time,”
    “That’s the plan.”
    I grab her hand and lead her a few feet out, kneeling down on the grass and pulling her down with me.
    “When do I get to know another one?” I ask, lying down on the grass.
    “When the opportunity arises,” she says, laying down next to me, but leaving a noticeable gap between us.
    “So which ones have you done so far? Can I at least know that?” I turn and face her.
    “Dye my hair blonde,” she says, pointing to her head. “I’ve never colored my hair before this.”
    “I like it. It suits you,” I say sincerely.
    “Thanks. I’m getting used to it.” She looks up at the clear sky.
    “What else?”
    “Learn to pole dance.”
    “Ahh, the stripper dancing.”
    She rolls her body over and slaps my chest. “You’re so rude.”
    “And you’re so beautiful.” It catches her off guard, but that’s the point. I roll to my side, facing her, but she continues lying on her back.
    She swallows, ignoring my comment. “Climbing a tree and kissing a stranger were other