Young Love Dies Hard: The Young Brothers, Book 1 by Nikki Lane (old books to read txt) 📗

of mascara staining my face. Lipstick faded from my lips.

“I didn’t stay long after you left.”

He took a few steps closer. It took all my resolve not to take a step back. Not because I didn’t want him near me, but because I didn’t trust myself with him so close.

“What happened with Taylor?” I leaned against the counter, feeling relieved to rest my weight on something solid. “I thought for sure I wouldn’t be seeing you until tomorrow morning…or for at least not another couple hours.”

He took a deep breath. “I went back to her dorm.”

“And?”

Was I really asking for specifics? It was none of my business, but I couldn’t resist the chance to torture myself with the gory details.

“And I realized I didn’t want to be there. I kept thinking of someone else. Kept thinking maybe…” His eyes flickered toward the stove. “Maybe she was still at the bar where I’d left her. Or maybe she’d gone home with someone…or worse—brought him back to her apartment.”

My pulse throbbed in my ears. Something rushed through my body. I couldn’t pinpoint the feeling—it wasn’t familiar.

“She’s right here,” I said. “In the dark. Alone. With her head in the freezer.”

Jacob smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m sorry I left you at the party. I shouldn’t have done that.”

I shook my head. “You don’t have to apologize. It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not fine, Maeve.”

“Okay, I’ll admit. I was a little disappointed. But I have no right to be…”

He took another step closer and braced me in his arms. His eyes flickered over my face before he set his lips on mine. He held me close to his body, like he knew there was a chance I would try to run away.

But I couldn’t pull away from his kiss—the smell of his skin, the taste of his tongue. I wanted to keep going. Go further. Go all the way. But there was still this nagging in the back of my head. That small voice, reminding me that this was a bad idea. Why did my conscious choose to rear its ugly head when it came to Jacob? And why did it become a deaf mute when it came to every other guy I threw myself at?

Jacob pulled away, his hands still cradling my face.

“You don’t want to do this,” I whispered.

His stare didn’t waver. “Yes, I do, Maeve.”

My heart felt like it could explode at any moment. Jacob seemed so calm. I swallowed the rock in my dry throat.

“If there’s anyone I want to do this with, it’s you. If you don’t want to, then of course I understand. But I want this, Maeve. I want this so bad.”

Oh God. How was it possible to resist this? When was I ever going to get another chance to feel this wanted again? I glanced at the clock. An hour until midnight. Maybe I could have my Cinderella moment. Pretend that I was a princess for an hour until midnight came along and blew up my pumpkin.

I could pretend.

I kissed him again before I let myself think any more about it. I tugged at this shirt and peeled it over his head. I ran my hands over his chest and stomach, feeling the light hair on his skin. His eyes widened just a little when I went for his belt. Maybe he would change his mind and stop me.

I gave his belt a few good tugs and dropped it to the floor.

Maybe not.

Jacob stood unfaltering as I unbuttoned his pants. Our eyes locked at the sound of his zipper going down. I slid his pants down his legs, and he stepped out of them.

We stood face to face, half naked in the kitchen. I grazed my arms over his stomach. Watched as his chest rose and fell with his every breath—his rapid breathing the only evidence that he was nervous, too.

I held his hand and led him to the bedroom.

Chapter Twelve

I lost my virginity years ago. But in that moment with Jacob, it was almost like doing it for the first time again.

I guided Jacob toward the bed and pressed his shoulders so he sat down. He looked up at me as I reached behind my back to unclasp my bra. Jacob soaked me in, sending a shudder of tingles throughout my whole body. I loved the way he looked at me. Like he’d never seen anything like my body before.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. His hands skirted up my stomach and rounded around my breasts. I kissed him harder, letting my one of my hands trail down to his boxers. I edged my fingers in between the band and made my way inside of them. He groaned into my mouth when I caressed his hard-on.

I straddled his waist and ran my fingers through his long hair, slipping off his glasses and setting them aside. I wanted to look into his hazel eyes. Force myself to face what I’d been wanting ever since Jacob Young came back into my life.

“You’re beautiful, Maeve.”

The words seeped so deep inside of me it hurt. Like the hard layer that had grown around my heart was starting to crack.

“So, are you.” I leaned in and gave him a soft kiss.

But he held the back of my head and pulled me close for another one. Our tongues curled together, and I pulled at his bottom lip. I’d thought about what it would have been like to share this moment with Jacob more than once. Would I have thought of things differently if he were my first instead of someone I’d barely known?

Jacob let out a low growl and held on to my thighs. He stood up and turned, still holding on to me, and laid me on the bed, his body in between my legs.

You’ll never be what he deserves.

The thought kept popping into my head.

My hands were pasted to the mattress as he pulled down my panties and tossed them to the