Friday First Kiss #22 :: When The Music Ends by Simone Beaudelaire – Contemporary Romance
The moment I crack open a new book, I always rush through the beginning, the budding relationship between the hero and heroine, and anticipate that spontaneous moment when one of them makes their move. The First Kiss. The first turning point in every story.
Every week here on the blog, I’ll be sharing First Kisses from my books and those of other authors.
This weeks Friday First Kiss comes from When The Music Ends by Simone Beaudelaire.
“Erin, do you want to dance some more?” Sean asked, scanning the high school gym and the other couples turning slowly in time to the music.
“Not really. Actually, it’s kind of stuffy in here. Would it be all right if we step outside for a minute?”
“Okay.”
Out in the parking lot, the evergreen-scented coolness of an autumn evening quickly washed away the sweaty sensation of a crowded dance floor. The quiet whispering of the breeze through the pines surrounding the back lot of the school sounded sensual, sweet. Erin’s dress was not particularly warm though, and she shivered a little. Sean put his arm around her waist, lending her his heat. She leaned on him, her head against his shoulder.
Neither of them wanted to speak. Both knew they shouldn’t be this close, especially in a semi-private setting, but maybe if no one said anything, maybe it wouldn’t really be wrong. A little gust of icy wind sent Erin even closer into the shelter of Sean’s body. His free arm angled across her back to rest on her shoulder. Her forehead warmed as Sean leaned his cheek against it. She slid her arms around his neck.
Afterwards, neither one was sure who moved first, but suddenly, unexpectedly, they were kissing. It started simply enough, a feather light brush of mouth on mouth. The second kiss was more, much more, harder, sweeter. Another moment passed and Sean’s mouth opened on Erin’s, his tongue pressing her lips. She let him in. He kissed her deeply and she responded with all the innocent eagerness of youth. She wanted this. The amazing thing was that he seemed to as well.
After several long moments, Sean released Erin’s mouth, and they both stood, slightly winded, looking at each other with dazed expressions.
Sean spoke first. “I’m sorry, Erin. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Maybe you were entranced by my stunning beauty,” she said, her voice harshly ironic.
“Don’t put yourself down. You are beautiful. But it’s not right for me to kiss you.”
“Why? This goes a bit beyond trying to do your sister a favor. Am I wrong to say you kissed me because you wanted to?”
“No, you’re not wrong. I did want to. And I didn’t come tonight as a favor to Danny. It was a favor to you. But Erin, you’re too young. I can’t be with you now, even if I really want to.”
Erin looked at him for a moment, considering whether it was worthwhile to ask a question. Finally she steeled herself and said, “Do you?”
Sean sighed. “I do. I mean, you’re a great girl. Anyone would be lucky to have you, but I don’t want to get arrested.”
“I’m eighteen, you know. My birthday was a couple of weeks ago.”
“That’s right, I remember,” he told her, “but I’m not a teen, not anymore.”
“I don’t care.”
“I do. If you’re done dancing, you should really let me take you home.”
“Yes, I think that would be good. Let’s get out of here before the crowd disperses and we’re caught in their wake.”
She walked to the car, telling herself that she really ought to be grateful for that kiss. It was much more than she had expected from this evening, a beautiful bonus for her fairy tale moment. But she wasn’t grateful. She was frustrated. She wanted more, and she absolutely hated the fact that she was still a teenager, still in school, and at the mercy of everyone else’s opinions and decisions. Why couldn’t she just grow up?
Sean was wrestling with his own internal dilemma as he drove toward Erin’s house. Despite the objective knowledge that kissing his sister’s best friend was really a terrible idea, he couldn’t regret it. She had been delicious in his arms, delicate and passionate and so very sweet. He wanted another, several more really. He wanted…Erin, all of her. What was wrong with him that his desire was fixated on this young girl? Even though it might be legal for him to be with her, she was still in high school. It wouldn’t be right.
But she had felt so right in his arms. He wanted her there again. The thought of not holding or kissing Erin anymore caused a greater pang than he had expected. When had this small woman become so important to him that he wanted to claim her for his own? No, more than wanted to, would have to. There really was no help for it. Controversy be damned. Unless she said no, there was going to have to be a good deal more this evening.
He reached across and took her hand in his, raising it to his lips.
“Erin…” he swallowed hard, “that was a really amazing kiss.”
“Yes. I loved it.”
“I want more.”
“Me too. Are you still having a hard time with my being in high school?”
“Yes, but it can’t be changed for a year or so, can it?”
“Not until I graduate.”
“Not soon enough. I want you right now. I’m pretty sure I’ll still want you after you graduate though.”
“What are you saying, Sean?” Erin’s heart was pounding.
“That if you want me to drop you off and leave, tell me now. Otherwise, you had better plan to see me a lot more often in the future.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“So, then, is this a beginning for…us?”
“It is. That is to say, after tonight, there’s going to be an ‘us’, unless you tell me otherwise.”
What is the sound of a broken heart? How does a fated love rise from a pleasant note to a passionate symphony?
Budding musician Erin James knows all too well the noise of neglect and tragedy, and that her infatuation with her best friend Sheridan’s older brother, Sean, is doomed never to blossom into something more. Imagine her surprise when Sheridan plays matchmaker and Sean finds himself drawn to the studious, reserved Erin.
As their love reaches a crescendo, personal tragedies and impossible decisions threaten to end their harmonious, unlikely romance. Will the family approve? How can Erin go far away to college and keep their love alive?
When the music ends, will these troubled lovers find a way to compose a life together?
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About Simone Beaudelaire
Simone Beaudelaire is the pseudonym for a mild-mannered high school French teacher.
Mme Beaudelaire lives with her husband, three children, and one fat tabby cat in Texas.
In her spare time, she reads romances as fast as she can get her hands on them, and when she isn’t reading them, she’s writing them!
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