The Cora Carmack New Adult Boxed Set: Losing It, Keeping Her, Faking It, and Finding It plus bonus material Read Online Free PDF Page B

calves burning too much to stay on my tiptoes. And I couldn’t look in his eyes any more. Every time I’d almost completely turned off my brain, he said something to turn it back on. I said, “You know you don’t need that line. I was already kissing you.”
    “And what a good kiss it was.” His thumb brushed against my lip again, and he tipped my face back up toward him. “I’d like to do it again somewhere that isn’t your bathroom.”
    “Oh, right.” Was he asking to go to my bedroom? I was pretty sure he was asking to go to my bedroom.
    I fumbled with the doorknob for a few seconds before my clouded brain managed to swing the door open. We exited into the dark hallway again, and his hand found my back once more.
    “Sorry, the hallway light is out, and I haven’t had a chance to change it.”
    His lips were right by my ear when he answered, “I don’t mind the dark.”
    All the tiny hairs along my skin stood on end.
    We stepped into the living room, and I flipped on a light that actually worked. My apartment was a loft with an open floor plan. Two walls were brick, and the other was painted a pretty plum color. The ceiling was tall with exposed pipes criss-crossing above us. My bedroom was off to the right, separated from the living room by only a lavender curtain since I didn’t actually have a door.
    “Well, this is my living room.” I gestured with one hand, unsure whether he expected a tour or if I should just skip straight to the bedroom. I’d never done this before, so I had no idea whether we were supposed to do the traditional niceties first. My heart ran wildly as he walked around the room, inspecting a painting here, a knick-knack there.
    “It’s nice. Fits you, I think.”
    I beamed. I loved this apartment. It always made me feel like I was in an episode of Friends .
    “I’m ashamed to say that my place is still covered in boxes. Wouldn’t have made for a very interesting tour.”
    God, how I wished we were at his place. Then he would be in control. I hated not knowing what I was supposed to do next.
    His eyes flicked to the curtain that led to my bedroom. It was quick. His eyes were almost immediately back on the lamp he was standing next to, but I saw it.
    This was it. I was about to have sex.
    Should I tell him I was a virgin? I should tell him.
    Should I tell him now? Or right before?
    I remembered Kelsey’s advice, and forced myself to dial back my fears. I turned the volume down so low that I could pretend I wasn’t thinking at all.
    Before I chickened out, I walked forward and held out my hand. He took it immediately, and I led him through the curtain and into my bedroom. There was no overhead lighting in this area, so I flipped on a lamp to my right, and then left him to turn on another beside my bed.
    When I turned around he was holding up the indecently short mini-skirt that Kelsey had made me try on earlier.
    His eyes met mine, and his grin made my lungs feel like they were on the verge of collapse. I snatched the skirt out of his hands, scooped up the few other articles of clothing still on my bed, and threw them into my closet.
    “Sorry about that.”
    “You don’t hear me complaining.”
    I raised and eyebrow, and said, “Forget about it. You will never see me in that skirt.”
    “Never? Is that a challenge, love?”
    “It’s a promise.”
    He skirted the corner of my bed to join me in the space between my bed and the wall. “I’d feel very comfortable helping you break that promise.”
    He placed a hand on my shoulder, his index finger dipping beneath the strap of my tank top.
    “I’m sure you’d be comfortable helping me do a lot of things.”
    His hand tightened on my shoulder and his eyes dropped to my lips.
    “That I would.”
    Then he kissed me.
    He didn’t bother with soft and sweet this time. There was a hungry desperation in his kiss that had me gasping into his mouth. His teeth pulled on my bottom lip in the same way his thumb had earlier, and my