I force myself to let go of her, and take a half-step back.

Something flashes across Juliet’s face, almost like disappointment. Then her gaze drops to my lips, lingering there.

Blood rushes through me with fierce heat.

She wants me.

My self-control is obliterated. I reach for her again, and this time, I don’t stop. I grab her around her waist and shove her up against the railing, my lips finally crashing down on hers in the searing kiss I’ve wanted ever since the first moment I saw her face.

She’s heaven.

Juliet melts into my arms, arching up into me as if she was made to fit against my body. She tastes of candy, and sweet summer strawberries; her hands reaching up to clasp around my neck as she kisses me back with a wild, naïve abandon.

Jesus.

I plunge my tongue deeper in her mouth, tangling my fingers in the silk of her dark hair. Blood pounds through me, blotting out the world. Everything fades away under the wild chemistry blazing between our bodies. There’s nothing but her, and me, and the softness of her curves pressed up against me, sending dark, wild thoughts tearing through my mind.

She lets out a breathy moan, and I feel myself harden. Wanting her. Needing her. I grab her thighs and lift, pressing back against the porch as she wraps her legs around my waist. I reclaim her mouth, kissing her with everything I have as my hands rove across her body, stroking and squeezing at the miles of soft skin and her peach of an ass, round and perfect through her cut-off shorts.

Juliet presses her br**sts against my chest, and I buck against her, the friction between us driving me crazy. She’s still kissing me like her life depends on it, but I pull back, holding her in place as I catch my breath.

I need to see her.

God, she’s beautiful. Her eyes are half-closed, dazed by desire. Her skin is flushed pink, and she’s gasping for breath, reaching for me, pulling me back down to kiss her.

With a groan, I surrender.

It’s like nothing I’ve felt before, the desire breaking over us. A tidal wave, a force of nature. Every other girl, all those drunken nights, they melt away under her eager touch and the sweet taste of her mouth, taking me far away from everything. Wiping the slate clean.

This is what I was made for, I think through the haze. This girl. These lips. This body.

Only her.

Desire comes over me like a hurricane, and now I can't hold it back. My hands are everywhere. Wanting to feel all of her. Lose myself in the taste of her sweetness, and the soft silk of her skin; the way her body shudders under my hands, and the sound of her gasps, ragged in her throat as I bury my face in the nape of her neck and run my tongue over the sensitive hollow of her throat.

I yank down the strap of her tank top and run kisses over the pale skin of her shoulder. Juliet makes a noise, part whimper, part moan.

Sweet Jesus.

I thrust closer, her body so soft and willing against me. Only the thin layer of our clothes is separating us. I feel the heat, blazing through her clothes, and all I can think about is tearing them off her and burying myself inside her, right here on the porch under the sunset sky. Plunging into her over and over until she's wordless and crying out my name—

"Emerson?"

A door slams, and then I hear a call, but it's like I'm underwater. I don't stop, too far gone in the glory of Juliet's body. I kiss her mouth again, desperate to stay here, safe in her arms, where nothing is bad, or dark, or broken, and the real world doesn't exist.

"Is anyone home? Oh, shit."

Juliet breaks away from me with a yelp as I finally register the voice. A familiar voice. My sister.

"Brit!" I roar, not turning. Juliet is scrambling to pull her shirt back up, cheeks burning red.

"Sorry!" I can hear the laughter in Brit’s voice. "I didn't know you had, uh, company."

I'm still panting, blood roaring in my ears, but I manage to get my hard-on under control and turn. My sister is standing with her hands on her hips: five foot and fifteen years of trouble.

I sigh. "Brit, this is Juliet." I reach for her, to reassure her it’s ok, but she ducks away from me across the porch, not meeting my eyes.

"Hi." Brit narrows her eyes as she takes in Juliet. I can tell what she's thinking, I've never brought a girl home before. We don't have people over. Ever. It's an unspoken rule of the house, a way for us to contain the damage. Contain mom.

Juliet doesn't reply, she just mumbles, staring at the ground. "I, um, should go." She finally blurts, then takes off for the door.

She leaves without looking at me, without saying goodbye. I feel a bitter wave of disappointment crash through me.

I f**ked it up.

Just like I always do. I drove her away. I had her in my arms, and I ravaged her like some f**king animal. Oh god, she must hate me now.

"Emerson." I look back. Brit is watching me with a concerned look on her face. "Em, are you ok? I'm sorry I barged in," she adds quickly. "But the door was open, and--"

"It's not your fault." I tell her gruffly. The words catching my throat, and I stride inside, slamming the door behind me.

The fault is mine. It's always mine.

Juliet

He kissed me.

No, Emerson didn't just kiss me, he consumed me. He devoured me. And I couldn't get enough.

I lay in bed all night awake, replaying the kiss over and over in my mind. The feel of his body, rock hard against me, the relentless sweet plunge of his tongue in my mouth. I shiver, heat pooling through my body, my skin prickling with awareness just at the thought of him.