“I know.” I give in and press my lips to hers again. It’s almost painful with how much my mouth aches to be on hers. I kiss her harder and the burn intensifies. “Fuck, baby, your lips are on fire.”

Her hand flies to her mouth. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes. Don’t move. I’m going to talk to your brother.”

“Right now?”

“I promised him I’d look out for you. I don’t want him to feel like I took advantage or… I don’t know, maybe it’s stupid, but I respect your brother and you, and I can’t kiss you like I want to until I talk to him.”

“Kiss me like you want to?” she asks with a laugh.

I walk to the door and pause with my hand on the doorknob. “Naked.”

Adam’s in the living room. I call his name and motion for him, going to the kitchen where I can pour a couple shots just in case one, or both of us, needs it.

“Dude, what’s going on with your face?”

I rub absently at my face, which still stings. Since I can’t very well tell him my body is having some sort of physical reaction to kissing his sister, I avoid his question altogether.

“I need to talk to you about Ginny.”

I slide one of the shot glasses in front of him. He looks but doesn’t touch it. “What about her? Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s fine.”

Reagan picks this inopportune time to join us. “Hey, have either of you seen Ginny?”

I glance at her. “She’s—”

“Oh my god, Heath, what happened to your face.” Dakota appears next to Reagan and steps forward and inspects my face. “I think your body is rejecting whichever random bunny you were making out with.”

I swipe a hand over my mouth.

“Pink’s not really your color.” Adam laughs.

I grab a paper towel and wet it so I can wipe his sister’s lipstick off my face. It can’t be helping the situation. “I think I’m allergic to this shit. It stings.”

Reagan starts giggling, and within a few seconds, it’s full-blown hysterical laughter that has tears coming from her eyes.

“The lip plumper,” she manages to get out and that sets Dakota off.

“What the hell is going on?” Adam asks.

“I was kissing—”

My body is yanked to the right by Ginny as she pulls me away. “Sorry, I need to borrow him for flip cup.”

I hear Reagan say, “I must have given it to her again by accident.” And then Adam’s gruff voice asks, “What the fuck is lip plumper?”

18

GINNY

I don’t stop until we’re in the corner of the deck outside, far away from my brother. “We can’t tell him.”

Heath’s rubbing at his lips. “Why not?”