He held up his hands. “No. Take it. You deserve it for all you do for us. I know we annoy the hell out of you sometimes and that you give up all your free time to help us.”
“C.C.”
“Nope. I won’t take it back.” He grabbed his stuff and headed upstairs. When he pulled the front door open, we found Trey ready to knock.
“Hey, I didn’t know you were stopping by,” I said.
Trey waved to C.C. and quirked an eyebrow at me. “Do I want to know why he’s wearing spandex?”
“Um—no. And I’m not gonna tell you the conversation we had about his groin either.”
Trey chuckled. “Glad I decided to wait to come by. I—is anyone else here?’
“Just my parents, but today is their ‘couple’s day’ so they’re hanging out watching movies and whatever else it is they do.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Do you think you might have time to give me a hand with some Romeo Club stuff?”
“Sure, come on in. We can go downstairs, but you’ll have to help me put the furniture back.”
He shook his head laughing. “Let me guess, C.C.?”
“Yeah. Apparently he has to waltz in his play and doesn’t know how to dance.”
“Ah, glad that’s all it was.”
Trey and I moved everything back in its place then sat down on the sofa. “So, what do you need?”
“Well, first of all I have to tell you that I held Portia’s hand last night. Even though we weren’t at the movies, I looked for the signs to see if she wanted me to.”
“That’s great. See. I told you, you’re a natural.” I punched him in the arm, but was glad he didn’t go into details.
He wiped his palms on his jeans then turned to face me. “The thing is, I, well—I still haven’t kissed Portia.”
I glanced at him. “You’ve got to take control. Don’t be scared. If she let you hold her hand, then chances are she’s not gonna punch you in the face if you try to kiss her. Trust me, if she isn’t into you, you’ll know it or she’ll tell you, she’s not ready.”
“This is gonna sound weird. But I don’t know who else to ask.” His gaze met mine. “Can you teach me how to kiss? I-I can give you extra money.” Red spots painted Trey’s cheeks.
My breath caught in my throat. Oh God. “I don’t want to get paid for it, that’d make me feel like a whore.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just, I want to know what I’m doing and you’re the only girl I feel comfortable asking.”
That wasn’t what I expected him to say. But was I really gonna agree to this?
“Okay, I’ll do it. But you better not tell the other guys about this. I mean it. No way in hell am I gonna make this a real Romeo Club.”
“I swear. My lips are sealed. So, what do I do?”
“First thing you want to do is scoot closer.” I gestured at the space between us.
He closed the distance so that his hip touched mine. “Like this?”
Oh boy. My palms grew sweaty. I licked my dry lips.
“Yes. Now, you can cup a girl’s face. Either her cheek or maybe her chin. At least for your first kiss, that way it’ll help with the ‘who’s gonna turn their head which way’ thing.”
Trey raised his palm until his hand cupped the side of my face. His thumb stroked my cheek. My heart jumped against my ribs like a spring loaded weapon. “How’s this?”
“Per-perfect.” My voice cracked. The scent of his cologne wafted in the air between us. He smelled so good. My eyes met his. We sat, staring at one another for long moments. The only sound I heard was the roar of my pulse in my ears. “Next, you’ll want to tilt your head, then move in for the kiss. Start with brushing your lips against hers. Then if she seems okay with that, you can go further.”
Trey bent forward, his breath fanned against my face. His warm lips brushed lightly against mine. When I didn’t back up, he took my bottom lip between his, deepening the kiss. Heat erupted inside; my pulse soared into the clouds. I clutched him tight, my fingers trailing up his neck and into his hair.
He drew me closer, pressing me to his chest. His mouth captured mine, more urgent this time. My lips parted and his tongue darted in, tracing my teeth, then brushing against my own tongue. His hands moved down my hips, and back up to my waist. Everywhere he touched, my skin smoldered. Any moment now, I expected my clothing to ignite and burn off. I couldn’t get enough of him. My mouth moved against his as I returned the kiss. No matter how closely we pressed against one another, it didn’t seem close enough.
“Trey,” I murmured against his lips.
“Do you want me to stop,” he whispered.
“No.”
