Free Four Summers by Nyrae Dawn Page A

fire and…holy crap! Brandon and Sadie are on the ground, under a blanket. Brandon is on top of her and I might be naïve and never kissed a boy, but it’s pretty obvious they’re having sex. Sex! I have no idea if it’s Sadie’s first time or not, but I don’t care. I turn away, my cheeks hotter than they’ve ever been. I can’t believe I just found my sister getting it on with a boy. I start walking away.
    Nathaniel’s jogging to catch up with me. It doesn’t take me long to find my fort and I’m scared I’m going to die right here of embarrassment.
    “My brother has game! Who knew,” he laughs and I swat his arm.
    “Oh my God. I can’t believe we just saw them having…”
    He cocks a brow. “Sex?” he supplies for me.
    “Yes!”
    At that, Nathaniel laughs harder “You couldn’t even say it. Damn, your face is bright red, Star Girl. I know it was awkward, but why are you embarrassed?”
    I shake my head, knowing I’m getting redder by the second.
    “It’s not like they saw us. Why are you so shy?”
    “Do you really have to ask that?” I bury my face in my hands. He’s so quiet I have to peek out, afraid he walked away.
    “Have you ever...” he starts.
    I drop my hands. “What? No! Of course not.” I can’t help but ask him the same thing. “Have you ever?”
    “No.”
    He doesn’t add the of course not.
    “Me and Roxi…we’ve messed around and stuff, but not that far.”
    “Okay, that’s enough for me!” I turn my back to him. It’s not like I want to talk about the girl he’s going home to. And of course she’d have some cool name. Roxi versus Charlie Rae.
    “What about you?” He steps up beside me. “Messed around, I mean.”
    Ugh. Why is he doing this? I think about lying, but know I can’t. “Nope.”
    “Nothing?” He says it like he’s shocked.
    “Thanks! Make it sound like I’m a freak or something.”
    “No, no. That’s not what I meant.” He steps in front of me so I’m looking at him. “I just figured you and Alec…”
    Oh. “No.” I shake my head. “We haven’t. I’ve never even…” There’s no reason to continue because I already told him I haven’t done anything. Why embarrass myself more by repeating the fact that I’ve never even kissed a boy? But then, this is Nathaniel and I like talking to him and can’t seem to stop myself from continuing. “No guys have ever really been interested in me. They all assume Alec and me are together, or will be together. Who knows if that’s really why. Maybe that’s just an excuse because—”
    “—Charlotte,” he cuts off my rambling. And he’s looking at me funny, all serious. Like he was by the boats that day and suddenly my heart starts a stampede and my stomach feels wobbly, maybe the way someone looks if you’re looking at them through a pool of water. Little waves making everything feel off.
    “What?” I finally reply.
    Nathaniel steps closer to me, his voice low. “I wanna be your first kiss.”
    I can’t believe he said that. This is really happening and I’m licking my lips and nodding my head. Before I thought I wasn’t frightened of my first kiss, but I am. I’m so scared I could burst out of my skin, or set on fire, but I’ve never wanted to burn so much in my whole life.
    He leans forward. I close my eyes and it’s not a second later that I feel his lips on mine. His hand pushes through my hair and rests at on the back of my neck. His lips tease mine with little kisses. I return them thinking nothing has ever felt this good.
    Against my mouth he asks, “Can I kiss you more?”
    Another nod from me and I feel his tongue trace my lips. I open my mouth and now I really know I’ve never felt something like this. Nathaniel’s tongue touches mine. Dances with it. I try to mimic what he does, slipping mine in his mouth and he lets me. It’s a trade off, and we learn to move together.
    He pulls me closer, his whole body lined against mine, and kisses me deeper. I wrap my arms