Chapter 20 – The First Kiss (Ava’s POV – Crossing the Line)

I should have gone inside.

I should have walked away before Riley saw through me.

But I don't.

Instead, I linger at the edge of the party, my fingers curled around the edge of my jacket, my heart pounding so hard it feels impossible to ignore.

Because she's still there.

Watching me.

Waiting.

Riley doesn't chase me, but she doesn't leave either.

And that's worse.

Because now, all I can think about is her.

The heat in her gaze.

The way her voice dropped when she asked me why I hadn't let Hannah kiss me.

Like she already knew the answer.

Like she knew it had everything to do with her.

I exhale sharply, pushing off the railing, my legs carrying me back toward the house before I can second-guess myself.

Inside, the music is still thumping, but I barely register it.

Because the moment I step through the doorway, Riley is there.

Waiting.

I stop short, pulse hammering against my ribs.

She doesn't say anything.

Doesn't smirk.

Doesn't taunt.

She just looks at me.

And I know.

This is the moment.

I don't think.

I don't give myself time to process the fact that this is Riley—the girl I was supposed to hate, the girl who's been under my skin for years.

I just move.

One step.

Then another.

And then—

I reach for her.

Fist curled in the front of her hoodie, I pull her down to me.

Her breath catches, sharp and surprised, and for one split second, she doesn't move.

Then she does.

Her hands find my waist, fingers tightening as her lips crash into mine.

It's not gentle.

It's not careful.

It's everything we've been avoiding, everything we've been pretending we didn't want.

And now—

Now, we can't stop.

Her lips are hot against mine, the taste of beer and something undeniably Riley flooding my senses.

She groans against my mouth, her grip on my waist tightening like she's afraid I'll pull away.

Like she doesn't trust this is real.

I don't trust it either.

But I don't stop.

I can't.

Her fingers slide up my sides, slow, almost hesitant, like she's mapping me out—learning the shape of me in ways we both swore we never would.

I shiver.

She notices.

And that is what does it.

Riley presses forward, backing me against the nearest wall, her thigh sliding between mine, deliberate in a way that makes my breath hitch.

"Ava," she murmurs against my lips.

A warning.

A plea.

A fucking challenge.

I tighten my grip on her hoodie, yanking her closer, deepening the kiss until she gasps into my mouth.

The sound sends a sharp pulse of heat through me.

I want more.

I want all of her.

Her hands slip under the hem of my shirt, fingertips teasing along my ribs, setting every nerve ending on fire.

"Fuck," she breathes, pulling back just enough to rest her forehead against mine.

Her pupils are blown wide, her chest rising and falling like she's barely holding herself together.

I feel ruined.

And we haven't even done anything.

Yet.

Her gaze drops to my lips. "You sure?"

Like I'd stop now.

Instead of answering, I surge up and kiss her again, desperate, needing her to understand.

Needing her to break apart with me.

And she does.

She fucking does.

Riley's hands are everywhere.

Hot. Searching. Hesitant.

Like she's afraid this will shatter if she holds on too tight.

Like she thinks I'll change my mind.

I won't.

I can't.

My nails press into the fabric of her hoodie as I tug her closer, my entire body burning from where she's pressed against me.

Her thigh shifts between mine, and I gasp.

It's barely anything. Just pressure. Just heat.

But it makes my head spin.

Her fingers flex against my waist, and she groans—low and wrecked—like she felt that reaction in her bones.

And then she moves.

Her lips trail from my mouth to my jaw, then lower, finding the spot beneath my ear.

She lingers there, breathing me in, teasing me.

I'm dizzy.

I'm drowning.

I don't care.

I tilt my head, giving her more access, my entire body desperate for whatever she's willing to give.

"Ava," she murmurs against my skin, her voice rough. Desperate.

I shudder, my fingers tightening in her hoodie, and Riley groans again.

Then she pulls back—just an inch—but it's too much.

Because suddenly, reality crashes in.

The pounding bass of the music.

The distant voices of the party just beyond this room.

The heat in Riley's eyes.

The realization that we're doing this.

That we can't take it back.

She sees it too.

I know because she freezes.

Her lips are swollen, her hands still resting just under my shirt, her chest heaving like she's barely keeping it together.

Neither of us speaks.

Neither of us moves.

Then—

Riley swallows hard, her fingers twitching against my skin.

"We should stop," she says, but she doesn't let go.

I lick my lips, my pulse still pounding.

"Do you want to?" I whisper.

She breaks.

And then she's kissing me again.

Fierce.

Hungry.

Like she's starving for me.

And I'm about to let her have everything.

Riley growls against my lips, the sound vibrating through my body as she presses me harder against the wall.

Her hands slide up, up, up, skimming over my ribs, my sides, until her fingers brush just beneath my bra.

I gasp into her mouth, my entire body arching into her touch, desperate for more.

"Fuck," she whispers, her breath hot against my skin.

I don't know if it's because she likes how I react to her or if she's barely keeping herself together, but it doesn't matter.

Because right now, she's here.

With me.

Touching me like I'm something she's always wanted.

Like she's wanted this just as long as I have.

Her lips move along my jaw, my neck, her teeth grazing my pulse point just enough to make me tremble.

"Riley," I breathe, my hands fisting in her hoodie.

She groans.

Like my voice is the only thing that matters.

And then—

Her knee shifts higher between my thighs.

My vision goes white.

I whimper.

It's barely a sound, but she hears it.

I know because she curses under her breath and does it again.

Heat pulses low in my stomach, needy, overwhelming, impossible to ignore.

This is dangerous.

This is insane.

And yet, I can't stop.

Neither of us can.

"Tell me to stop," Riley rasps against my throat, but her hands don't move away.

I know she'll stop if I ask her to.

I know she'll pull away if I give her even the smallest hint of hesitation.

But I don't.

Instead, I look into her dark, desperate eyes and whisper—

"Don't you fucking dare."

And then I pull her down into another kiss, deeper, harder—until we both forget about everything else.

Riley's breath is ragged against my lips, her hands gripping my waist like I might slip away if she lets go.

Like she wants me.

Like she can't stop herself.

I feel the exact same way.

Her thigh presses harder between mine, and my body reacts instantly—a slow roll of my hips, chasing the pressure.

Riley sucks in a sharp breath.

"Fuck," she groans, dropping her forehead against mine. Her entire body is shaking.

It should make me pause.

It should make me rethink what we're doing.

But it doesn't.

Because Riley is looking at me like I'm the only thing that matters.

And right now? She's the only thing that matters to me, too.

I tug at her hoodie, needing her closer, needing more, needing everything.

She gives it to me.

Her hands slide under my shirt, fingers hot against my skin, teasing over my stomach before trailing up, higher, higher.

I arch into her touch.

I need her to touch me.

All of me.

Riley's gaze flickers to mine, hesitation warring with the sheer hunger I see in her dark eyes.

She swallows.

"We shouldn't," she whispers, but she doesn't move away.

Her hands are still on me.

Her thigh is still pressed between mine.

She's still breathing like she's fighting for control.

I wet my lips, never looking away. "So stop."

It's a dare. A challenge. A test.

Because I know she won't.

She knows it too.

A muscle jumps in her jaw, her fingers flexing against my ribs.

And then—

She fucking breaks.

Her lips crash into mine, harder than before, deeper, her body pinning me to the wall like she's afraid I'll disappear if she lets me go.

I moan into her mouth, threading my fingers through her hair, pulling her closer, needing more.

Riley grinds against me, and my brain short-circuits.

It's hot.

It's desperate.

It's everything I never knew I wanted.

She tugs at my shirt, her fingers skimming just beneath the hem, her lips trailing fire along my neck.

I shudder.

She growls.

I don't think we can stop.

I don't think I want to.

Riley's hands are burning against my skin, fingers sliding higher under my shirt, teasing over my ribs, just beneath my bra.

I suck in a sharp breath.

She hesitates.

For a second.

For a moment too long.

Like she's waiting for permission.

Like she thinks I'll push her away.

I don't.

Instead, I grab her wrist, guiding her up, pressing her palm to my chest.

The sharp exhale she lets out wrecks me.

I can feel her trembling.

Not from fear.

From restraint.

Riley wants me.

And she's trying so fucking hard to hold back.

I don't want her to.

I shift against her, grinding against her thigh, chasing the heat, the pressure, the feeling of being completely overwhelmed by her.

She groans, low and deep, her forehead pressing against mine.

Her fingers flex, teasing over my tightened nipple through the thin fabric of my bra.

I whimper.

She swears.

"You're gonna kill me," Riley rasps, her voice rough, shaken.

I lean up, biting her lower lip, my entire body on fire.

"Then die wanting me," I whisper.

Something inside her snaps.

She grabs my thighs, lifts me off the ground, and I gasp as I'm suddenly pinned against the wall, my legs wrapping around her waist.

I can feel her.

All of her.

Pressing between my legs, thick, hard, desperate.

A sound I've never made before slips from my lips, and Riley curses under her breath.

She grinds against me, her hands gripping my hips like she's barely holding herself together.

"Ava," she growls, like a warning.

Like she's at her breaking point.

So am I.

I fist her hoodie, dragging her closer, deeper, hotter, harder.

I want her.

I need her.

And I don't think anything can stop us now.

Riley's grip on my hips tightens, her fingers digging in just enough to make me feel owned.

Like she's staking her claim.

Like she's done holding back.

The thought sends a delicious shiver down my spine.

Her mouth crashes against mine, desperate and deep, and I kiss her back just as hard, just as needy.

I whimper into her mouth when she rolls her hips, the friction between us sending sparks through every nerve in my body.

"Riley," I breathe, barely able to form words.

She groans at the sound of her name on my lips, pressing her forehead against mine.

"We should stop," she rasps, her breathing ragged.

But she doesn't move away.

Her hands are still gripping me.

Her body is still pressed tight against mine.

And she still looks like she wants to devour me.

I bite my lip, tilting my hips just right, dragging against her hardness.

She shudders.

"You don't want to," I whisper.

Riley's jaw clenches, her restraint hanging by a thread.

I reach for her hoodie, pulling it over her head, exposing the toned muscles beneath.

My hands slide up her chest, fingers tracing every inch of bare skin, feeling the way her heart hammers beneath my touch.

Riley snaps.

She grabs my ass, pulling me against her, grinding slow and deep.

A broken moan escapes my lips.

"I've wanted you for so fucking long," she growls against my neck.

I can't breathe.

I don't want to.

I just want her.

Now.