Mark My Words

52 | Dignity

Rosalie had never kissed anyone—namely, on the lips. The memory of standing half-naked in Jamie-Lee Berry's bedroom, though... That was a close one. On top of that, the memory of nearly kissing Lennie Pittmen was still vivid enough, though now marked off as a temporary lapse of sanity. She blamed her middle school hormones on that one.

But as for Joanna Spencer, well...

Joanna had plenty of opportunities, but on every one, their lips never quite touched. And now? Rosalie was certain it was burning her insides until they turned to caramelized sweetness, tooth-rotting sweetness. The soft, squishy side of her crush hardened and came close to snapping when Joanna leant away from her in the tub that night in Baltimore.

Rosalie laughed low, shaking her head. She pushed herself up onto her knees and went after Joanna, her hand falling mere centimeters from Joanna's fingers on the tub ledge.

"You don't get to—" Rosalie hissed, her own sharp smile withering when she realized that she was just fueling Joanna's devilish grin.

"Get to what?" Joanna whispered. She bit her tongue, her eyes dipping down from Rosalie's eyes and back up again. "Come on. Kiss me, Mason. I'm not stopping you."

Rosalie curled her fingers into fists. The breath she lost from her proximity with Joanna returned, and she could only huff, and look away.

It was then that Joanna's hand touched her neck. Rosalie's hair was still cold with water, and Joanna's fingers were warm against her skin. She shivered, but before she could look, Joanna's breath fanned over her jaw.

Rosalie sucked in her breath when Joanna laid an open-mouthed kiss on her jaw. She felt Joanna's tongue lick across it, curling Rosalie's earlobe. Rosalie let out a startled gasp, panting. Joanna tugged at her hair, pulling Rosalie's head back lightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough for Rosalie to wonder just what Joanna was planning.

Joanna's lips found Rosalie's throat, climbing up her trachea from the hollow of her neck to the soft skin at the top of Rosalie's neck. She opened her mouth against it, and Rosalie shivered at the warm sensation of Joanna's tongue laving the skin. Every inch of Rosalie's skin tingled at the contact. No one had ever licked her, not even as a joke, and she never imagined she'd feel Joanna's teeth grazing her skin any time soon.

Rosalie let out a deep sigh, relaxing into the rhythmic motion of Joanna's tongue on her neck. With it, though, came an involuntary groan. She felt Joanna's lips curl into a smile against her throat and she whispered, "Tell me, do you like it?"

Rosalie swallowed hard and would have nodded if Joanna's nose wasn't now pressed against the soft skin beneath her chin. Her legs had fallen open, and Joanna now leant between them, a hand resting on her exposed knee.

"I—" Rosalie started, but loud voices sounded outside of the door.

Joanna pushed back, only to lean forward for the edge of the curtain. Rosalie's heart leapt in her throat as Joanna yanked the curtain over, pitching them into the shadows as the bathroom door swung open, and the racket from the hallway leaked in.

"Aw, I thought Joanna was in here," Brynn's voice sounded. Rosalie opened her mouth, eyes wide, but Joanna slapped her hand over Rosalie's lips.

They held still as one of the soccer guys said, "Maybe she's over in Mason's room."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Brynn sighed. "I gotta pee."

"Yeah, and you guys gotta go. We need to be up in T-seven hours," Lu said, snapping her fingers. "Everybody, out! You know she's gonna come over here and kick all your asses otherwise."