Blame it on the Tequila by Fiona Cole (the reading strategies book txt) 📕

My body sparked to life. If I thought the casual touches here and there over the last few weeks had sent me into a frenzy, it was nothing compared to the fire spreading its way through my veins. His long fingers rested in the hollow just under the ridge of my hips, and I gasped when I encountered the hard length under me.

“It’s a normal thing around you,” he murmured in my ear.

More heat swirled up from my core, and my nervous excitement grew. Each movement and breath against my sensitive skin hit me like gasoline until I was sure the fire would be a raging inferno, burning us all.

Ash moved between Parker’s spread legs and leaned down, looking to Parker first and apparently finding approval before focusing his attention on me.

His palm slid behind my neck, holding me in place before finally kissing me. It started slow—teasing—a sharp nip of his teeth and a soft flick to soothe the pinch. His hand landed on my waist, and I gasped, giving him the opportunity to dip his tongue inside my mouth.

Parker’s hands gripped tighter, and I sucked in a breath, involuntarily grinding into his lap, loving the groan that vibrated against my back.

Despite Ash being the one whose mouth claimed mine, my focus centered on the way Parker’s quick puffs of air heated my neck. On the way his chest rose and fell over his thudding heartbeat that matched my own. All my attention remained on every flinch and adjustment he made with my body pressed to his.

Ash finally pulled back with one last nip to my lips. My eyes struggled to slide open, not wanting to come out of the haze. I searched the depths of his dark eyes, trying to figure out what this was all about.

“Put the poor guy out of his misery and kiss him,” he murmured before standing.

I struggled to make sense of his words until he reached back for the bottle and specifically turned it to face me. “Kiss Parker or tell us your filthiest fantasy you masturbate to.”

“Oh, shit,” Oren exclaimed. “I’m not seeing a downside.”

Heat swelled like a living thing inside me, and Parker’s hard cock pressed against my ass. Part of me wanted to fuck with them all and come up with something insane to get off to. Another part of me considered saying fuck it and going to bed. But the bigger part of me, the teen girl who wanted Parker—who wanted Parker without hiding it, the woman who’d done nothing but fantasize about him for years—that part didn’t give a shit about anything else but feeling Parker’s lips on mine.

At least, until I faced Parker, and for the first time all night, I didn’t love the guys’ eyes on me. I gravitated to his heavy-lidded gaze. I stood between his parted knees and even reached down to stroke the light scruff along his jaw. But when I tried to move my body into position to kiss him, I couldn’t. After all this time, I couldn’t imagine kissing him with everyone watching.

Kissing the other guys had been funny and joking. Kissing Parker was anything but light and playful.

I pulled my hand away, closing my eyes when his jaw flexed in frustration, wanting to block out the flash of hurt and disbelief.

“Seriously?” he asked.

The step back away from him physically hurt, but it was nothing compared to when he stood and towered over me until his will forced my eyes open. His glare flamed a hot blue, and I hated it.

“You’ll make out with everyone here, but you’re too fucking stubborn to just fucking kiss me. Even when you have the lame-ass excuse of it being a game,” he snapped. “Jesus, Nova.”

With that, he stormed past me, and after less than a second, my fight kicked in, and I turned to follow him. Just as he tried to slam the door to the back, I slapped my hand out to push it back open, only to slam it behind me.

“I am not stubborn,” I shouted.

He laughed without humor. “You’re one of the most stubborn people I know. The fact that you can’t even accept it proves how stubborn you are.”

“You have no idea who I am. It’s been five years.”

I toed the line, not wanting to talk about the past but also having a damn good reason to be cautious.

“I know. I fucking know, Nova. And if I didn’t realize how deep your resentment went, I do after tonight.”

“Tonight wasn’t about resentment, Parker.”

“Then what the fuck was it?” he asked, tossing his arms wide. “Please enlighten me. Tell me why you can kiss everyone but me. Huh?”

“Because you’re you. Because with them, it’s a game, and with you, it’s not.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Tell me about it, because I would love nothing more than to just fucking kiss you.”

“Then do it.” He said it like a challenge and plea all mixed together.

I froze, my muscles contracting for fight or flight, and I had no idea which one my mind would choose until everything snapped into action—and he met me halfway.

My lips crashed to his and our arms wrapped around each other. His hands slid to my ass, and he lifted me up to wrap my legs around his waist as he walked us until my back hit the door.

With my arms around his shoulders, I held him close, holding on tight as tidal wave after tidal wave of emotion crashed over me, almost like I was caught in a riptide. I needed him to cling to, to survive. His fingers dug in, and I knew I’d have bruises on my pale skin, and I relished in them. I wanted them to remember every second.

His tongue pressed into my mouth, and my tongue played with his, remembering his taste like it was yesterday and not years ago.

We ravaged each other like desperate wild animals trying to cram the last five years into one minute—or ten minutes. However long it was. I