Chapter 9: Mouth to Mouth
Rowena
I awoke to the feeling of water exiting my lungs and a burning pain in my chest–the sort of pain that I had never experienced before. But there was another experience too, just as new, and maybe even more shocking.
Bright blue eyes stared down at me, and our lips were touching. Maybe my lips burned even more than my chest now that I came to my senses.
Eric pulled back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He let out a deep breath, clearly relieved.
“Rowena.”
I kept coughing, but the sensation of his lips remained. I knew it was just mouth to mouth resuscitation, but… it was my first kiss, technically.
While I continued to cough and sputter, Eric stood up and faced the crowd. The other warriors had gathered around us, looking on with confusion, shock, and discomfort written across their faces.
“Who did this?” Eric bellowed, his voice booming across the now–quiet pool.
No one answered. I wanted to say that it was Emma, but I couldn’t. The water in my throat wouldn’t let me.
“I know someone did this,” Eric snarled, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, “and now you have the opportunity to voluntarily admit it.”
I gasped, still not having the strength to speak. But then I saw her; Emma, standing on the opposite side of the pool. Her eyes were wide with shock.
“H–Her,” I managed, pointing at her.
Eric’s sharp gaze followed my finger, landing on Emma.
“Emma White,” he growled. “Is this true?”
Emma’s face paled. “I–I didn’t realize she couldn’t swim!” she pleaded. “I was only playing!”
Meanwhile, Eric’s eyes only hardened. “Even if she could swim, you pushed a woman in a heavy dress into a pool,” Eric growled. “Are you stupid?”
Emma didn’t respond. Eric huffed and turned on his heel, crouching beside me. I felt his strong arms wrap around me, and he lifted me up, holding me easily.
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#Chapter 9: Mouth to Mouth
+25 BONOS
It was then, as I felt his warm hands on my skin, that I realized that my dress had been discarded at some point during being saved. My face instantly flushed red as I realized that everyone, Eric included, was now looking at me in my bra and panties.
“You’ll pay for this, Emma White,” Eric growled. “Everyone, go home. The party’s over.”
Monday morning, I made my way down the stairs with a somber expression on my face. The party had ended, and I had returned to the way things were before: curly hair pulled back into a ponytail, plain white t–shirt and jeans, a pair of sneakers, and my glasses.
Except, not everything was the same.
I had, after all, shared my first kiss with my brother. Technically.
Eric was waiting for me downstairs. He must have already been out, because he was holding two to–go cups of coffee in his hands, and he held one out to me as I approached.
“Is this a peace offering?” I asked, taking the coffee. The cardboard cup was warm in my hand, and the scent of vanilla–my favorite flavor–wafted into my nose.
“A peace offering for what?” Eric asked. “I haven’t done anything.”
I shrugged and took a sip of my coffee, which burned my tongue but tasted delicious, and followed him out the door. “You stole my first kiss,” I grumbled.
“Oh, c’mon, Rowena,” Eric said. “It was hardly a kiss. It was mouth–to–mouth.”
“Still.”
Eric was silent for a moment. Walking behind him, I could see the way his shoulders stiffened, and the tips of his ears turned red. He had been acting strange ever since the party, especially since Adrian and I had played that game together.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better,” he said, opening the passenger side door to his fancy black sports car for me, “it was my first kiss, too.”
I stopped, narrowing my eyes at him. “No it wasn’t.”
He nodded. “Yes, actually, it was.”
“I know your reputation,” I said with a scoff. “It’s impossible. You had to have kissed lots of girls.”
“Nope.” Eric held the door open a little wider. “You getting in, or…?”
Still in shock and disbelief, I slid into the seat. Eric closed the door behind me and then walked
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#Chapter 9: Mouth to Mouth
+25 BON
around to the other side, sliding in beside me. As he put the car into gear and began to drive toward the school, I chewed my lip, unable to keep myself from staring at him.
“How?” I finally blurted out. “How is that possible?”
Eric shrugged, not meeting my gaze. “I may hook up with girls, but I’ve never kissed them,” he said. “Not even on the cheek.”
I fell silent after that. If anything, it just seemed even more in line with his playboy reputation than anything.
“Well then,” I finally said, sipping my coffee and burning my tongue for the second time, “I guess we’re even.”
The drive to school was quiet, and a little awkward. The only sound was that of the music playing through the speakers–pop, a genre I didn’t really like, but tolerated. Finally, we pulled into the school parking lot. Eric pulled into a space and shut the car off.
I took a deep breath and shuddered slightly as I unbuckled my seatbelt, causing Eric to stop and look at me.
“What is it?” he asked.
I swallowed. “The intern selection is today,” I said.
Eric raised an eyebrow. “And you’re entering?” he asked, to which I nodded. We paused for a moment, watching as a few girls walked past. They were wearing short dresses and cute shoes, with their hair pulled back in ribbons in the school colors. I recognized them as being in major, which meant that they were likely entering, too.
my
“You know they’ll pick the prettiest one, right?” Eric asked. “You should’ve told me this was today. I would have helped you dress up.”
For a moment, I stared down at myself. I wasn’t dressed out of the ordinary today, aside from the fact that I had put on a little mascara and put in some earrings, and I had tucked my shirt in. I thought I looked nice. Plain, but nice.
I huffed and climbed out of the car. Eric followed me, falling easily into pace beside me.
“I don’t need to dress up,” I said matter–of–factly. “I’ve got the expertise. That’s all that matters, really.”
“Sure, if we lived in a perfect world,” Eric said as we stepped through the doors and into the school. “But that’s just not how things work, unfortunately. When it comes to combat management, all anyone cares about anymore is looks.”
“I’ll prove that theory wrong,” I said, splitting off from him. “See you later.”
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#Chapter 9: Mouth to Mouth
+25 BONOS
Eric sighed. “See you.” He paused then just as I was walking away, and called out to me. Rowena.”
I paused and looked over my shoulder at him. “What is it?”
His face warmed slightly. “Good luck.”
((
For some reason, a slight smile twitched across my lips. I nodded at him, and then we parted ways.
Suddenly, as I rounded the corner to the arena where the try–outs would be held, I was met with a cacophony of noise. A gaggle of girls was surrounding a blonde girl, who was standing at the center of it all with a grin on her face.
“You’re definitely going to be picked!” the girls said, cooing over how pretty she was.
I froze in my tracks. I remembered her face; I remembered it well, actually.
She used to be Eric’s bedmate.
