I Hate Football Players

41: All the Feels

Well, fuck. I almost slammed my foot on the brake. Her kissing other guys wasn't lost on me, but it could've been closer to fifty without my intervention.

Fuck, I needed to kiss her too. I settled for a hand squeeze because her stomach growled. She placed her free hand there and blushed deeper. Of all places, she wanted In-N-Out. Two burgers wrapped in lettuce and water were enough to hold me over until dinner, but Ellie flashed the most adorable pout when we arrived at our impromptu destination.

"You know something?" she asked when I opened her door. "You give me whiplash."

"I do?" I pretended to be innocent and held out my hand. "What do you mean?"

The sunset painted golden highlights on her cheeks and hair. Her cheeks blushed a deeper pink, and she pulled her hair out the back of her sweatshirt's neck. I settled my knees between her feet and offered my hand to help her out, but she tugged me closer.

With slow, tentative movements, her hands laced around my neck, and she shifted closer. Sitting in my truck put her six inches taller than me, and her hair pitched forward as she leaned closer. Her eyes gazed into mine, her pupils rounding as her lips parted. Her fingers tensed soft depressions into my scalp at my hairline. The air was thick enough to dry my mouth, and I swallowed the pressure squeezing my throat.

I tucked her hair behind her ears. The more I traced her soft, smooth lower lip with my thumb, the more I needed both pressed against mine.

"You said we shouldn't do this," her repeated, sending a warm breath across my mouth.

"And you said you really wanted to kiss me." Why was I stalling this? Her chest rose with elevated breaths, and that adorable pink blush stained her cheeks. I was mesmerized by the shape of her lips as they moved and rounded around words and the random tiny freckles across her cheeks. I wanted to know everything about this girl, what made Ellie Ellie. I wanted to know her feelings as much as I wanted to know her dreams, her hopes, what made her laugh until her sides hurt, and the secrets she locked in her heart that she didn't tell anyone

I wanted all of those things and more. But first, I needed to kiss her.

The hardness of her forehead met mine, followed by a soft nudge of the tip of her nose on mine. Under an invisible pull, I leaned in closer and pressed a soft touch on the corner of her mouth. Her sharp breath parted her lips, and she finished me off with words full of more breath than timber.

"Logan... Just kiss me already, asshole."

Challenge accepted.

Kissing Ellie was nothing as I expected. It started as a whispered touch that shuddered relief down my spine. One touch and I was addicted. Her lips were soft, warm, and perfect against mine. Every cell in my body burst into a rush of sensations.

It wasn't the raw, desperate kiss that the want growing inside me pushed for. I pushed down the ache that had built up from the moment she sat on my lap. This kiss was a quiet, gentle introduction. It struck weakness in my knees with how good a simple kiss felt. I swayed closer, my thighs hitting the edge of the seat.

With Ellie's sharp breath and eyes half-closed, she felt the effects. She pulled me closer, rounded her lips, and pressed harder. I fought an internal urge to reciprocate and elevate the kiss by tasting her mouth but settled for my hands gripping her waist. For being so small, she grounded me against the rush of lightheadedness that swept through me. My heart raced in my ears, electricity zipped through my veins, and I wanted to jump out of my skin.

With every stronger kiss, I crept closer until my chest was flush with hers. Our introduction shifted to more intentional contact, and her fingers stroked my hair – fuck, I liked that. She didn't pull or tug my hair, only massaged my scalp with the tips of her fingers. I gripped her as tight as my pants became, my breath turning short and sharp. Her quiet whimper hummed warm vibrations into my mouth, which tore a groan up my throat.