Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 65429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65429 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
“Livvy, calm down,” I reasoned, grabbing her arms to help her in. Tugging her toward me, I held her tighter against me. “You’re okay. I’m so sorry, but you’re okay.”
She thrashed in my arms. “Ethan Carter, let go of me!”
“Don’t be like this.”
“Don’t be like what? I could have drowned!”
“You were never going to drown.”
“How do you know? You think you know everything!”
“Livvy…”
“Don’t Livvy me in that tone! Now let go!”
“No,” I argued. “Not until you forgive me.”
She screamed, drawing back far enough that I had to grip her wrists.
“Stop screaming,” I ordered, shaking my head.
“Then let go of me!” she countered through gritted teeth near my face.
“Are you going to forgive me?” I asked, not backing down.
“Absolutely not.”
“You’re such a stubborn little thing.” I jerked her forward, closer to my face and she lost her footing.
She wouldn’t stop fighting while I just held on to her, barely breaking a sweat or using any of my strength. She knew her efforts wouldn’t matter. She would never be able to overpower me and get away. I was bigger, and she wasn’t going anywhere unless I wanted her to. I knew that pissed her off more than anything.
“Stop being such a girl,” I simply stated.
Her eyes widened, loudly gasping. “Oh my God! Let go! Let go of me right now!”
“Fine!” I released her, and she stumbled back, glaring right at me. I’d never seen her so mad.
“You’re an asshole!”
“Enough with the attitude. I’m sorry, but there’s no way I’d ever let anything happen to you, and you know that.”
And then she pushed me, like full-on shoved me, and I barely wavered, which only infuriated her to push me again. My eyes widened, surprised and partly amused with her feisty spirit that always did things to me.
I did the only thing I could think of. Acting on pure impulse, I tackled her to the soft grass. Laying my body on top of hers, I held her in place beneath me.
“Do you need a hug? Is that what this is about?” I teased in a high-pitched voice, holding her tighter.
“Oh my God, Ethan! This is cheating!”
I didn’t hesitate, reaching down to grip her inner thigh, and she immediately lost her shit. Laughing and thrashing all around, she whipped her body, trying to break free from my relentless torture.
“See…” I smiled. “All you needed was some of my love.”
We’d been saying we loved each other for as long as I could remember. Again, I thought it was normal. You’re supposed to love your best friend regardless of them being a girl.
“Are you done now?” I tickled her other thigh.
“Stop!” She laughed out, trying to catch her breath.
“Say the magic words, and I will.”
“I hate you!” She laughed harder.
“Now you’re going to have to apologize too.”
“You’re horrible!”
“And you love me for it.”
“Ethan, you’re shameless!”
“Say you’re sorry, and you didn’t mean it!”
“Never!”
“Then I’m not going to stop until you do.”
“Please!” she begged, at her wit’s end.
“Say you forgive me.”
She screamed, falling into a fit of giggles. “Okay! I forgive you, and I didn’t mean it.”
Unable to stop, I added, “Now tell me you love me.”
“Ugh!” She wiggled some more. “I love you!”
I finally halted my attack, sitting back on my knees, and she took the momentum of my movement to push me, making me fall into the grass.
“Jerk!” She stood, smiling down at me with a satisfied expression on her face.
“You’ll pay for that.” I grinned.
She rolled her eyes, reaching her hand down to help me up. It took me a few seconds to trust her not to shove me back into the grass again. I could see it in her smug smirk that she was going to. Before she could, I grabbed her hand and yanked her down on top of me instead. She fell onto my chest, and we both began laughing.
It was only then we realized how close our mouths were to one another. Neither one of us had ever been this close to anyone’s lips before. Hers parted, sucking in a breath. This was the first time I felt something drastically change between us, but before I could give it any more thought, she blinked, and the fire in her stare was gone.
“Only you would make me fall with you! You’re such a bully sometimes!” She pushed off my chest to back away. “I can’t believe you—”
Using her own momentum, I gripped the back of her neck and tugged her toward me, right onto my lips. A million thoughts ran through my head, but the second I felt her mouth on mine, they were all gone. Nothing else mattered at that moment.
I had no idea what I was doing. My heart sped so fast that I swear she could hear it. It was the most overwhelming feeling I’d ever had.
My lips started to open, and she followed my lead, parting hers in the same rhythm as mine. Our mouths moved in sync with each other, like we’d been kissing all of our lives.