Teaser Tuesday

Today, my goal is to reply to every comment that's been left on this blog. I feel so bad that I've fallen behind and haven't replied to you guys! First, though, it's time for another teaser from my WIP, "Building Forts." In this tease, Callie's spending the night with Chase in the hospital (she snuck in). Chase is in the hospital because he's paralyzed. Hope you like it!

---

It’s almost three in the morning, so we’ve exhausted all conversation topics from so, how do you use the bathroom when you’re paralyzed? to I like Chinese food, how 'bout you? to now, “There was a fire drill at school the other day.”

“We’ve had more of those since you started going here,” Chase says, then laughs at my dropped jaw.

I hit him, and wonder if he can feel it. “You’re a jerk.” The ultimate flirtation: hit a guy, and call him a jerk in a whiny voice while giggling. Chase smiles, so, of course, it worked.

“Speaking of school,” he says. “Isn’t this past your bedtime for a school night?”

I shrug. “I’ll skip tomorrow.”

“I’d love to go to school right now.”

“I’ll drink lots of coffee.”

The lull that follows isn’t the first of the night, nor is it the first time I use the silence to play the what-part-of-Chase-I-want-to-touch-the-most game. Anything below the belt is pointless because he won’t feel it, which is a weird twist of fate. The upper body is pretty foreign to me; Darren isn’t exactly one for foreplay, more of a get in then get out kind of guy. Chase has the abs for some foreplay, though.

There’s part of me that knows kissing him is ridiculous. There’s a bigger part of me that wants to kiss him.

So, I do.

It’s not a moment of bliss or ecstasy or anything that I felt with Darren. It’s awkward, a little wet, and we both keep our eyes open. I’m very aware—too aware—that we’re kissing. The world doesn’t disappear; we’re in a hospital, and no matter how much I want to, I don’t forget that.

I’ve never known a kiss to feel this real before. It’s nice.

I end the kiss, and wait for Chase to speak.

Apparently, he’s waiting for me to speak too, because his lips that were so active moments ago now are still as can be. “That was nice,” I try, even though it was better than nice.

“One word for it,” Chase says, and I want to hear the other words. “It wasn’t how I imagined it would be.”

That may be a bad thing, but he imagined it, and that makes me happier than it should. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it was my first kiss,” he says, and that surprises me. Guess everyone’s not as slutty as I am. “And I always thought I’d…walk over to the girl, take her face in my hands, and then kiss her. It was better than that, though. Kind of forgot about everything when you kissed me; we weren’t in a hospital anymore, it was just us.” He hesitates. “Also thought I’d be better at it.”

“You were good.”

“Thanks. You were amazing.”

“Practice makes perfect.” Right. Kiss a guy then imply that you’ve kissed many guys, many times, before. Way to make him feel good.