A Bad Boy's Worst Nightmare (Book 1)

19. Possibility

Back to Ryder's P.O.V.

I stared into Corey's eyes unmovingly. "What?"

His hands brought me a little bit closer to him, and I could feel the heat of his body as well as the intensity of his gaze. "I would like to kiss you, Ryder. But I promised myself that I wouldn't try to kiss you until I was certain that you wanted me to. You're so hard to read. So, I finally gave up and decided that I should just ask you." His dark eyes intensified. "Can I kiss you?" he repeated.

This isn't how I'd imagined my first kiss going. I figured that it would be spontaneous, random, unexpected. But he was asking my permission; another part that I hadn't thought of: the boy trying to kiss me was Corey. I mean, he was definitely one of the only boys I had ever really gotten along with for more than a few minutes, but I had never thought that my first kiss would be given to him at a dance that I hadn't originally even planned on going to. I realized that he really was waiting for permission, and I barely felt my lips move as I replied. "Yes."

Corey moved toward me agonizingly slowly, then finally, after one more small hesitation, his lips pressed against mine.

Three things happened right then. One: heat shot through every inch of my body. Two: I had just changed the friendship I shared with Corey, possibly forever. And three...I considered the possibility of falling in love for the first time in my life.

His arms wove around me, wrapping around my waist and pulling me the rest of the way against him so that I was pressed against him. His lips moved against mine, and after a moment, instinct kicked in enough to help me kiss him back. When his lips finally parted from mine, he kept his forehead against mine, and we stood there quietly, just enjoying the closeness. Corey's hand came and cupped my cheek gently, and I finally remembered that my eyes were closed.

When I opened them, he was already looking at me. I bit my lip to force myself to close my mouth.

"You're so beautiful, Ryder," he whispered, looking me straight in the eye. His thumb brushed across my cheek bone and his lips came against mine once more, kissing me slowly and gingerly like he had just moments ago.

I knew I was blushing, and I didn't care. In that moment, nothing mattered. Nothing except for him, and me. Nothing else even existed right then. There was only him. His heat. His face. His eyes. His scent. It was all him. When our lips parted again, I let out a shaky breath, just then realizing that I might have been holding my breath the whole time. Damn I hoped he hadn't noticed that. Wait...were you even meant to breathe when you kissed? I had no idea. But, again, that didn't matter right then. All that mattered...was him.

"You forgot to breathe," he whispered, laughing quietly.

"Couldn't," I replied, blushing as I tried to reign in my pulse.

He smiled and finally moved his face away from mine. At the same time it disappointed me, I knew that we couldn't just stay like that forever. No matter how much I may have wanted to. The hand that was still pinning me against him began to release me, and his hand fell from my cheek slowly. "Do you want to go back inside?" he suggested.

"Too hot in there," I said quietly. "I like it out here better."

"I'm beginning to like it here too," he replied just as quietly. Corey's forehead touched mine again, both of us smiling.

I had just given my first kiss to Corey.

* * * * *

"Yeah...remember how you told me to tell you about my first kiss?" I asked in to the phone. "Well...it happened. I finally kissed someone. Technically he kissed me, actually, but is there even a difference?"