Free Forever Red by Carina Adams Page A

put it past her because she’s done worse before. I just wanted you to know what they do so you don’t get screwed.”
    I was already screwed. Royally fucked. That girl was under my skin. I took a deep breath and glanced back to the table. They would never give me an honest answer. In reality, there was only one person I wanted to talk to about it. “I need to go,” I said and Mike just nodded. “Don’t tell ‘em, okay? I need a few hours with her without any interruptions.” I didn’t wait for an answer. I knew Mike would cover for me – as long as it took.

Chapter Nine
~ Cecelia ~
     
    Leftover Chinese takeout, a Hershey’s Cookies and Cream bar, Clueless and My Best Friend’s Wedding were how I planned to spend my Saturday night. Missy and Jules canceled at the last minute, but I was surprisingly okay with that. My mom had gone God knows where with her friends but had told me she’d see me Monday. So it was just me, cuddled on the couch in my favorite fleece pajama pants and Neil’s jersey, laughing at movies that I would never admit to enjoying.
    When I heard the rev of an engine and the angry slam of a door, I assumed my neighbor was having one of his notorious parties. The pounding on my door seconds later scared the shit out of me, and I frantically looked around the living room for somewhere to hide. The shades were all down, lights off, so I could easily get on the floor and crawl to the back door and make it to a neighbor’s.
    “Lia. Open the damn door.”
    Hearing Neil’s voice, I jumped off the couch and yanked it open. He looked adorable in dress pants and shirt, his top two buttons undone, tie missing. I hardly ever saw him without a baseball hat, but tonight, he’d even gelled his hair. 
    “Hi.” I smiled, opening the door wide to let him in. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the dance?”
    He just stared at me, looking from my pajama pants to his jersey, and up into my very bare face. I self-consciously ran a hand through the knots in my hair. If I’d known he was coming, I would have at least brushed it out and thrown on some foundation. The longer he looked at me, the angrier he seemed, and the more uncomfortable I became. Running my palms down my thighs, I leaned against the closed screen door. “Neil? What’s wrong?”
    Two small steps and he was right in front of me, so close I could feel his breath fan across my face through the mesh of the screen. “I was gonna come here and ask if you and your friends were really competing to see who could get me in bed first, but at this point, I don’t fucking care.”
    Panic hit at his words and I shook my head. “Who told you that?”
    He flung the door open and stepped into me. “Does it matter? Because I really don’t give a shit anymore.” His eyes dropped to my lips. “Kiss me.” And just like that, his lips were on mine, arms forcing their way between me and the door, pulling me closer to him.
    I tangled my hands in his hair, letting my body react to his. It was the perfect first kiss, a little sweet, a little naughty, with a promise of more to come. He wasn’t rough, but he wasn’t gentle, a perfect mix of the two.
    When he started to pull away, I moved into him, moving my tongue along his lips. He groaned, opening his mouth a little, his tongue wrestling against mine. He shifted then, sucking the bottom of my ear into his mouth, biting it gently, and then trailing a line of kisses down my neck. My body was instantly on alert, heart racing, goose bumps covering my arms, nipples tightening, and wetness rushing into the space between my thighs. It had been a long few months since I’d had a satisfying make-out session and almost seven months since I’d had sex, and my body was definitely feeling deprived. I moaned loudly. When he stopped abruptly and pulled away, I felt like I could cry.
    A look of panicked shock covered his face as he continued to back away from me. “Christ, Lia. I am so fucking sorry.”
    Laughter bubbled