Firefly Mountain by Christine DePetrillo Read Free Book Online

thing. She was a fairy tale princess whenever she was with him. He was her prince.
    “We’ve been together for a long time now.” Cameron slipped his hand over Gini’s shoulders and squeezed her closer. He’d parked his dad’s car by the river, and all the stars were out, ready to take wishes.
    “It’s been wonderful, Cameron.” Gini leaned her head on Cameron’s shoulder, and he kissed the top of her head. She soon found herself angling her face to him, seeking his lips, finding his familiar spearmint chewing gum taste, and getting lost in it.
    Cameron broke away and slithered into the back seat. He dragged a giggling Gini into the space next to him, and his lips sought hers now. The seat beneath her was sticky with something she couldn’t identify in the dark, but she pushed that aside and focused on Cameron. His scruffy black hair complemented the fact that he played electric guitar in a small band. His blue eyes always reminded Gini of a perfect summer day, one where the water and sky made a perfectly blue sandwich of anything between them.
    Cameron’s arms encircled her waist, and he tugged until her long legs could only separate to either side of his body.
    “Your hair smells like peaches.” Cameron burrowed his head into the curve of Gini’s neck. “I love peaches.”
    “I know.”
    Gini’s favorite pastime was making out with Cameron. His lips were so full, so soft. Whenever he kissed her, she felt as if she were flying. Time stood still. Her blood pumped like liquid fire when his breath tickled her neck, when his hands slid under her shirt, brushed over her skin.
    She felt like a woman in Cameron’s arms, not like the awkward teenage giraffe she usually felt like.
    “I love you, Gini.” Cameron’s voice was a hoarse whisper. “I want to see you. I’ve got to see you.” He lifted her T-shirt, prepared to take it off.
    “Wait.” Gini curled her fingers around Cameron’s wrists.
    “I can’t wait, Gini. I don’t want to wait anymore.”
    Cameron had been saying things like this for a few weeks. Each time Gini had been able to distract him or give him enough that he backed off. A quick fondle here and there. She was pretty sure his friends were giving him a hard time about not having sex with her. She didn’t care what his friends thought. Most of them were morons anyway. Cameron was smarter, cuter, funnier, better than they were.
    But still, she wasn’t ready to have sex with him.
    They kissed for a few more moments until Cameron started wiggling her shirt up again.
    “Knock it off, Cameron.” Gini swatted at his hands, but leaned in to start kissing again.
    Cameron slid away from her and folded his arms across his chest. “When, Gini? When?”
    “I don’t know,” she said softly. Suddenly that sticky spot on the seat mattered. She knew its diameter, felt the border between sticky and not sticky. Inched over to get in the not sticky zone.
    “You’re killing me here. Really. I mean, I said I love you. What else do you want me to say?” He faced forward now. All the cuddling instincts gone to ice.
    “It doesn’t have anything to do with you saying something.” Gini shifted to face forward now too. She felt ridiculous with them both in the back seat as if they were waiting for a chauffeur to take the driver’s seat and whisk them away somewhere.
    “Then what can I do to convince you that we’re ready to do this?”
    “Nothing. I’ll just know when I’m ready, Cameron.”
    “Great. Don’t I get a say?”
    Not knowing what else to do, Gini put her hand on Cameron’s and yelped when he grabbed her arm. He pinned her down on the seat, right in the sticky spot, and pressed his length against her leg.
    “I’m done waiting, Gini. We need to do this. We’re going to do this.”
    His lips crushed down on hers, and she tasted blood. Gini shoved at Cameron’s shoulders, but he only pushed against her harder. She tried to maneuver around him, but the back seat of the car was