Reaching for her, I settle my hands on the front of her shirt, my fingers slowly undoing the buttons. She doesn’t utter a word of protest, just stares up at me with those big hazel eyes, her skin flushed, her freckles…Christ, I want to kiss every single one of them.

But my gaze falls from her face so I can see the prize I’m slowly unveiling. The last button comes undone and I spread her shirt apart, staring in fascination at her chest. She’s wearing a white tank with one of those bogus built in bras or whatever they’re called and I can see her nipples. Small and tight, protruding against the thin fabric of her shirt.

I want to suck them into my mouth.

Her breasts raise on a deep inhale and I wonder if she’s pushing them into my face on purpose. There is a faint smattering of freckles across her creamy skin and I bend down, pressing my face into her cleavage like some sort of pervert. Some sort of tortured pervert because holy hell, she smells good. And feels good. Her skin is so damn soft.

She wraps her arms around me, one hand curling around my nape and I brush my lips across her collarbone lightly. I’m afraid if I push too hard, too fast she’ll shove me off her and end it. And I can’t have that. Not when I’m so close.

I hadn’t planned on this but I’m not about to blow my chance either.

“Tell me to stop,” I whisper against her skin, handing over the control. She’s got it. I refuse to do anything she doesn’t want. She needs to tell me how far she’ll let this go or give me a hard limit.

Because right now, having her like this, open and warm and so fucking sexy, I’ll take her as far as she’ll let me.

“I—” She sucks in a breath when I kiss the very top of her left breast. “I don’t want you to stop.”

Triumph surges through me. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear—what I needed to hear. I grip her waist, my fingers slipping beneath the hem of her camisole to touch bare, smooth, soft as a cloud skin and I shift lower. Ready to slowly take her shirt off so I can finally see her…

The door plows open and I lift my head, ready to tell whoever it is to fuck off when I see a girl standing in the doorway, her eyes wide, her mouth dropped open. “Uh, sorry.” She smiles. “I thought this was the bathroom.”

The exasperated sound from Jade matches the way I feel. “Clearly, it’s not,” I say as coldly as possible because fuck me, this chick just ruined everything.

Everything.

Jade shoves at my shoulders, trying to get me off of her and I refuse while the girl is still standing there, looking smug as shit. Like maybe she did it on purpose? She’d been trying to get me to talk to her all night and I’m not interested. You’d think she’d realize this, especially with Jade beneath me on my fucking bed but whatever.

“Sorry, I’ll leave you two fuck birds alone.” She waggles her fingers at us and starts to shut the door. “Toodles.”

“Get off me,” Jade murmurs the moment the door closes and I roll over so I’m lying by her side, staring up at the ceiling as I try to calm my breathing. “Did she really call us fuck birds?”

“You should be more irritated by her use of the word toodles.” I grimace. “Because that sucked.”

With a sigh she turns to look at me and I do the same, staring at her pretty face. She’s so close I can practically count her freckles and I mentally start doing just that. “You should take me home.”

I flub up at the fifteenth freckle across the bridge of her nose when I hear her request. “You really want me to?” Please say no. Please say no.

She nods, her thick hair rustling against my pillowcase. “It’s late. I have class tomorrow.”

“I thought you didn’t want me to stop.” I reach out and touch her hair, testing the silky strands between my fingers.

Her cheeks flush and her gaze skitters away from mine. “I think Miss Looking for the Bathroom just ruined the moment.”

“We could pick up where we left off if you want.” I need to respect her wishes because right now, I sound desperate. What the hell is wrong with me? I never do this. I should just attack her again. She can’t resist me. I heard the little sounds she made, the way she moved against me. She was into it. I can get her right back into it with a few choice words and determined kisses.

“I don’t think so.” She winces. “Sorry. I really…should head back to my dorm. Sorry to make you drive me back. I bet I could get a ride or—”

“Hell no,” I say vehemently, rolling over so I’m sitting on the edge of the mattress, my back to her. Damn that stupid chick for interrupting what was building up to an amazing moment. “I’ll take you back. I don’t mind.”

I stare at the wall, willing my erection to calm down. I can tell she’s standing, can hear her fixing her clothes, buttoning up her shirt, smoothing out her hair, whatever. When I finally turn back around she’s standing in the middle of my room, looking a little lost, a lot embarrassed.

Without thought I go to her, pull her into my arms and drop a soft kiss on her upturned lips. “This is going to happen again, you know.”

“Who says?” One delicate brow rises and I’m relieved at seeing that tiny glimpse of the Jade I’m used to return.

“Me.” I kiss her again, my lips lingering on hers. Damn, they’re soft. And plump and delicious and fuck me, I need to get a grip before I lose all control. “I say. So tell me. Are you game?”

A shuddering sigh escapes her, her breath wafting across my lips. “Okay,” she whispers shakily.

That girl’s interruption broke me from the Shep spell he’d been weaving. And what a spell he can weave. Holy crap, he knows how to kiss. His lips, his tongue…there are no words. My mouth is still tingling.

He’s sort of bossy. I liked how he shoved me against the door. I loved it when he picked me up and carried me over to his bed. I’m no petite little girl and he hauled me around like I weighed nothing.

Which means he’s super strong. I felt his biceps. They were the stuff of dreams. He’s the stuff of dreams.

But see, that’s the thing. Dreams are just…dreams. They’re not real. So what Shep and I are experiencing? It’s not real, not at all.

That’s what I keep telling myself so I don’t end up hurt when he dumps me out of nowhere.

We’re on our way back to my dorm hall in his precious car, neither of us saying a word. It’s so quiet I can hear him breathing. How he shifts in his seat like he’s restless. I swear I can hear him freaking blink and it’s making me slowly insane.

“That was probably a mistake,” I blurt out, clamping my lips shut the moment the words are out. I bang the back of my head against the seat, pissed that I said it.

Because I don’t mean it and I’m just proving to him yet again that I really am a Bitch Face. Or an immature idiot, take your pick.

He chuckles, the rich, warm sound slowly unfurling in my belly and making me tremble. “Liar,” he murmurs.

Now I’m sort of pissed at him for calling me out. “I mean it. We should’ve never…kissed.”

He glances at me, dark eyes flashing, his perfectly kissable lips curved into a perfectly adorable smile. “I’m calling bullshit, babe. Sorry.”