I would never spit again.

As soon as I’d drained him, I relaxed and slowly pulled away, but not before giving the tip one last little lick. God, he tasted so good.

When I glanced up, it appeared as if he’d passed out. I knew better, so I rolled to the side and waited for him to come back down from his high. It wasn’t long before one eye popped open. Then the other. He held his arm out, and I moved up to snuggle into the crook of it.

Once I was settled, I peered up at him and was greeted with an adorable, lazy smile and equally adorable, brown eyes.

“God, I love your mouth,” he said, his eyes moving to my lips.

“Because I’m so witty and tell the funniest jokes?” I asked, teasing.

“All that…and you suck a mean cock. I think I’ll keep you around for a while.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “A while?”

“How ’bout forever?”

“That sounds much better,” I answered. Then I closed my eyes, letting sleep take over.

And when he woke up me up a short time later, he wasted no time in tasting me all over again.

“Sierra,” he groaned as he settled in between my legs. He’d put his boxers on, but I could still feel his hard length pressing against me.

I rocked against him, wild and frenzied from the friction we were creating. It would’ve been so easy for him to slip inside me, and as he kissed me, I wondered if that’s what he was thinking, too.

I was panting. I was wanton. I was so incredibly aroused that I thought I’d explode if Jeremy wasn’t inside me. And, as soon as the through crossed my mind, I was terrified, too.

That alone told me that I wasn’t quite ready. I mean, a girl shouldn’t be scared the first time she has sex, right? So, instead of soldiering on, I had to put a stop to this.

“Jeremy,” I whispered.

He was so into what he was doing that he didn’t even hear me. It wasn’t like he was taking his boxers off and going for the plunge, but by the way we were currently dry-humping, it wouldn’t have surprised me if one slip would’ve completely changed the act. I frantically tapped his shoulder then pinched his skin.

“Jeremy.”

His head shot up, a lazy grin covering his gorgeous face. When his eyes met mine, however, his smile faded.

“I don’t… I think…” I sputtered, unsure of what to say.

His expression softened and he rolled off me, sitting up and bringing me with him.

“I wasn’t going to do anything, baby,” he whispered, his eyes full of worry. “I swear.”

“No, I know,” I rushed out. “It’s just… We were getting really into things and…”

“You’re not ready.” It was a statement, not a question.

Even still, I nodded.

His fingers rubbed my arms as if he were trying to keep me warm. “That’s fine, Sierra. I wasn’t expecting anything. Even though it seemed like I was getting carried away, I’d never lose control like that. Ever. We have all the time in the world to be with each other in that way. I will never pressure you. You know that, right?”

Again, I nodded. “I know, which makes me love you even more. I wish I were ready, Jeremy, but I’m scared.”

“You know what? So am I. It’s a big step, and even though a lot of guys act like it’s nothing, going there with you terrifies me as much as it excites me. I respect you. I respect the hell out of your parents. We can wait. I’d wait forever for you if I had to.”

I sighed, partially hating myself for making him wait. “I know you say that, but it scares me. What if I make you wait too long? I hear the way the other guys talk at school. What if you get tired of waiting for me?”

It was silly. Jeremy wasn’t that type of guy, but I would’ve been lying if I’d said that fear hadn’t been creeping in.

He chuckled and shook his head. “Baby, despite what most women think about the male population, we don’t need to have sex to be fulfilled. Sure, it’s a natural desire, but I’m only ready when you are. I’d never force you to do anything you didn’t want to. Ever.”

I swallowed hard and wished that my body, my mind, and my heart would all align so I could go through with this.

“Okay. I love you, Jeremy. And I appreciate you being so patient with me,” I told him.

“It’s not being patient, babe. It’s not like I’m sitting around, waiting for it to happen. When it happens, it happens. Until then, I’ll keep kissing those pretty lips of yours to my heart’s content.”

“That sounds perfect,” I whispered, my heart filling with all the love in the world.

His hand cupped my cheek as his thumb stroked my skin. “So, what do you say we sneak into your window and finally watch the Dawson’s Creek finale?”

“Why would we sneak in the window? No one’s there but Lexi.”

He grinned down at me. “Because I want to spend all night sleeping next to you, in your bed, and I don’t want your sister to know I’m there.”

I smiled and shifted until I was sitting up, face-to-face with him. Taking his hand, I entwined our fingers and brought them to my chest. “You know, all this time, I thought it was Tod and Copper, Joey and Dawson, Jeremy and Sierra. But I just realized, right here, that I’ve been wrong all along, and I’m switching teams.”

Jeremy frowned as his brow creased. “What do you mean?” he asked.

“I think it’s time I start rooting for Pacey.”

“Pacey?”

I nodded, gazing up into his eyes. “Dawson loved the girl he wanted Joey to be. Pacey loved the woman she was. He never tried to change her or mold her into who he wanted. Dawson did. And, in the end, I don’t know if it was the real Joey Dawson ever wanted. But Pacey did. I see that now.”

Putting so much thought into a fictional television that had more drama than my own high school was silly, but I couldn’t help it. It was the truth.

“So, who does that make me? Pacey?”

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his, giving him a soft kiss. “No, Jeremy. You’re who you’ve always been and always will be.”

“And who is that?”

“Mine.”

With a low growl, he rose from the blanket and pulled me to my feet. His hand cupped my cheek as he gazed down into my eyes. “I always will be.”

He swept me off my feet and carried me all the way to my house, where we did, indeed, climb through my window. I thought I heard faint sobs coming from Lexi’s room, and though I wanted to go to her, I knew my sister and figured she’d want to be alone.

Instead, I cuddled up in my boyfriend’s arms and watched the season-five finale of Dawson’s Creek, curious as hell as to what would happen.

And you know what? I barely even noticed what happened. I was too focused on Jeremy’s hands running through my hair to care, because whatever happened on screen would never match up to the love I had in my life.

AS I STOOD IN front of Jenna’s full-length mirror, I could hardly believe that this day was here. I was dressed, much to Mom’s chagrin, in my favorite blue-and-khaki board shorts and a T-shirt that said “Pussy Magnet” and was covered with pictures of felines of various size. Yes, you guessed it: Chris got in one last dare before we were high school graduates. When I had walked downstairs that morning, Mom had shaken her head, Jenna had rolled her eyes, and Dad had wondered if the dares were going to stop after high school. The truth was they were. Chris was moving to Orlando with Jenna to go to the University of Central Florida, and I’d be going to school with Sierra.

She thought I was going to Alabama. I’d gotten a small scholarship there for football, but the closer it had come to graduating and leaving, I’d realized that football wasn’t my dream. She was. And the thought of leaving her, even if we’d only be a few hours apart, tore me apart inside. Not for the next four years. Hell, I wouldn’t want to do that for the next four weeks. I just had to tell her.