CHEMISTRY OF A KISS
A Sweet Water High Romance
Kimberly Krey
Contents
Welcome
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
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About the Author
Also by Kimberly Krey
Sample Chapter by Tia Soulders from Falling for My Nemesis
CHEMISTRY OF A KISS: A Sweet YA Romance
Sweet Water High Series Book 5
Copyright © 2019 by Kimberly Krey
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Created with Vellum
Welcome
Welcome to the town of Sweet Water,
North Carolina!
1 Town. 1 School. 12 Sweet Romances.
Misunderstanding the Billionaire's Heir: A Sweet YA Romance (Sweet Water High Book 1)
by Anne-Marie Meyer (Author)
Crushing on My Brothers' Best Friend (Sweet Water High Book 2) by Julia Keanini (Author)
Kissing The Boy Next Door (Sweet Water High Book 3) by Judy Corry (Author)
Flirting with the Bad Boy (Sweet Water High Book 4) by Michelle Pennington (Author)
Chemistry of a Kiss: A Sweet YA Romance (Sweet Water High Book 5)
by Kimberly Krey (Author)
Don’t miss the next book in the Sweet Water High Series:
Falling for My Nemesis
by Tia Souders
Chapter One
One blackboard, twenty-six names, thirteen couples. That summed up the proverbial Strike Two in my day.
Exactly six seconds ago I hurried into class and scrolled down the lines of loopy cursive writing until I came to mine: Harper Tisdale.
A long dash separated my name from the one beside it. The name of my new partner—the one I would spend a dozen hours with over the next two weeks: Jett Bryant.
Anger, stress, tension, panic—all of it manifested itself in an annoying rash of heat along the back of my shoulders where it would grow and swell and force its way into other extremities. The mere sight of Jett’s name next to mine set the heat wave in motion. I blinked hard, opened my eyes once more, but it was still there.
I knew something was wrong with this day from the moment I caught Missy eating the last bowl of the only decent cereal in the house. My stomach growled as I stared at the chalkboard in paralyzed horror. I wanted to bolt out of the classroom, push my way though the double doors at the hall’s end, and head straight to The Bread Basket for a gooey cinnamon roll with extra icing, but that would do nothing to fix my problem. I’d come back tomorrow to find that Jett was still my partner. Worse, I’d have missed a day of class, meaning I would have to lean on him for the details of what I’d missed.
Students shuffled past me as they entered the room. Levi and Ky gave each other high fives after spotting the board and took a seat at one of the double desks in back. Another look at the board said Lauren and Lucas were paired up. Maybe we could switch.
Carefully, so as not to make accidental eye contact, I glanced over my shoulder to see if Jett had made it to class yet. Maybe he was sick today. I felt slightly hideous for hoping this was the case, but the fact was—in my heart—I was downright praying he was hovered over a barf bowl.
My hope was crushed when I noticed a confident-looking Jett stride into the room. Jett Bryant was never hard to spot in a crowd. That tall, self-assured stature combined with dark hair, an olive complexion, and ridiculously brooding eyes made him stand out among every other student at Sweet Water High. It had done the same thing all throughout middle school and elementary too. Trouble was, he seemed to know it.
I watched him from across the room, admiration clashing with angst like a war that would never cease. His brow furrowed as he took in the disrupted seating arrangement. He glanced up at the board next. My heart stopped beating for three full seconds as I scrutinized his face.
His dark eyes narrowed as he searched for his name, then widened as they stopped at one spot. A tiny tug pulled at the sides of his lips, making the angry shoulder heat shift into something a little less…angry. He moved his gaze over the room then, stopping only once his eyes met mine. That hint of a smile grew, each corner of his full lips lifting into a pompous grin.
Holy Gorgeous.
I jerked my eyes off him and faced the front of the room. Why did guys that attractive have to know what kind of effect they had on us? Probably because dummies like me made it obvious by doing stupid things to feed their ego.
One freaking kiss. That’s all it was. One stupid kindergarten kiss and the guy thinks I’m in love with him for life. He probably thought I arranged this whole thing. The little pigtailed girl who chased him down, tackled him to the ground, and planted a kiss to his lips is trying a new tactic—magically becoming his partner in first period.
The bell rang out its obnoxious buzz, and the students hurried into their seats. Everyone but me. It was now or never. One of us had to be man enough to act, and since Jett was obviously enjoying himself too much to request a partner change, I’d woman-up and do it myself.
Ms. Tolken wasn’t exactly the warm and fuzzy type, but she wasn’t horrible either. I reminded myself that I aced debate class because I was good at presenting a case. I could do this.
Chin lifted, shoulders high, I strode to the front of her desk.
Tolken sat hovered over some paperwork, leaving me with a view of the bun in her hair, which was surprisingly big for the size of her head. She’d probably just broken out of her twenties but for some unknown reason she dressed like an eighty-year-old.
“Sorry to bother you, Ms. Tolken,” I said in my sweet-but-assertive voice. The voice I used for Dorothy when approaching the Oz in Sweet Water’s community production two summers ago.
“What is it?” the woman grumbled without looking up.
“I see that we have new partner assignments, and I wondered if it would be possible to make a slight change in mine.”
The chatter behind me died down, allowing me to hear the actual seconds ticking by on the ancient clock by the window.
I glanced at the time, then back to her.
Had she heard me? Should I try again?
Perhaps if I leaned my hand beside her papers…I tried that, hoping it might remind Ms. Tolken that I was, in fact, waiting for an answer to my question. The shoulder heat climbed up the back of my neck.
The chatter picked up once more. Conversations about hangnails and ball practice and the Sadie Hawkins dance.
“Excuse me,” I said, trying again. “I’m not sure if you heard me—”
“Who’s your partner?” she snapped.
A glimmer of hope. “Jett Bryant,” I whispered.
The woman lifted her chin at last, squinting at me through dark, thick frames. I doubted they were even prescription. Anything to make herself look less appealing… “The pastor’s son?”
The incredulous tone coating her words didn’t escape me.
I shrugged, not sure why that mattered.
“You have a problem…with the pastor’s son.”
What, that suddenly made him perfect? “He’s not as innocent as you think.” I glanced over my shoulder, hoping no one had overheard, and kept it at a whisper. “We have some…bad blood,” I explained.
Ms. Tolken held my gaze. “This is a class about relationships. Re-lation-ships!” she barked a second time, only louder now. “I suggest you use the skills you’ve learned in class thus far to become friends with Mr. Bryant.” Suddenly, she pushed away from the desk, shot to her feet, and looked over the classroom like she was about to address them.
I hurried away from her toward the closest aisle, wondering if I could squeeze out the open window crack before she spoke up.
“Anyone else want to try asking for a partner change?” she asked.
My neck went fire-hot as I forced my eyes to the scuffed up floor. Thank heavens Jett had taken a seat at the back of the room. If he hadn’t, I might have marched right out of the door and into the hall and bolted for that cinnamon roll after all.
Instead, I circled the desk, pulled the chair out, and sank into it with an inward groan.
“You didn’t want to partner with my man Jett?” Ky asked.
Levi leaned around Ky and grinned. “Yeah, what’s up with that?”
Cool, Harper. Play it cool. I pulled an innocent-looking face. “Where’d you guys get that idea?” I put some extra snark on the comment for their benefit and felt a grin coming on as the duo chuckled and shook their heads.
“I’m great with having Jett as my partner,” I assured.
A heavenly, spicy scent wafted from Jett’s side of the desk, reminding me of how close he was. I tucked my elbow against my ribcage to keep from touching him.
Focus, Harper. Do not let this affect your grade.
Ms. Tolken snatched a nub of chalk off the tray and shuffled over to the blank side of the blackboard. Why the woman refused to use a whiteboard like the rest of civilization was beyond me. “We’re going to discuss a few popular relationship claims, and I’d like to know what you guys think of each.” She stepped back to reveal what she’d just written: You cannot make someone change.
The woman dropped the chalk nub back onto the tray and dusted her hands on her pants. I worked to pull my eyes off the handprints, white against the brown polyester, as she addressed the class. “Do you agree or disagree, and why?”
“Disagree,” I hollered. I knew this was a hot topic and that some would argue, but I had my reasons for feeling the way I did.
“Harper.” Ms. Tolken pointed a finger at me. “Stand up and tell us why. Why do you disagree?”
I pictured my boyfriend TJ. He had a bad-boy image, and in some ways he’d earned it. But I had fixed about a million things in my life so far and I was determined to fix TJ too. In fact, I was already making a difference. “I disagree full heartedly because people change all the time. My grandfather was an alcoholic for years, but eventually, he changed and it was all because of my grandma.”
Ms. Tolken’s gaze narrowed behind her thick rims, then darted over to Jett. “Do you agree with your partner, Mr. Bryant?”
My eyes widened as Jett stood to his feet. He folded his arms, causing the sleeve of his tee shirt to brush against my skin and that yummy, yummy scent of his to assault my senses. I shuffled away from him so we no longer touched.
“No, I do not,” Jett said.
Big surprise.
“In fact,” he continued, “I full heartedly agree with the statement on the board, Ms. Tolken. Sure, people change all the time. But they do it by setting their own mind to it, not because someone made them change.”
I shook my head. “My grandfather said he got sober for my grandma and his kids.”
“Yeah, but he had to do it on his own. Your grandma couldn’t have made him do it.”
Ms. Tolken put her hands up to stay us. “Thank you, thank you for your opinions. You two can sit down.”
“I know the guy you’re going out with,” Jett mumbled once we took a seat.
I felt my eyes double in size. I could hardly believe he’d even dared bring him up. “Know him personally or just know about him?”
Ms. Tolken was already writing another statement on the board, not that my irritated eyes could even focus.
Jett came in closer, speaking just over my shoulder. “Both. And if you think you can turn him into some sort of Prince Charming, you’re in for a rude awakening.”
That got the heat going in my shoulders again. I turned in my seat to face him, ready to let loose, but was surprised by the expression on his face. It wasn’t the challenging sort of sneer I expected to see. He looked…concerned.
I pulled in a breath, lips parted, suddenly forgetting what I wanted to say. Jett always did have the perfect-looking face. Aside from his amazing tan skin, he had a chiseled jawline most guys would kill for. And those eyes. Deep brown with swirls of gold. They were like secret weapons or something. I scrambled for what I’d planned to say.
“You have no right to judge TJ,” I said. “In fact, didn’t you hear your dad in service last week? He said there’s only one Righteous Judge, and you and I both know that’s not you.” That was the ticket—bring Pastor Bryant into it.
“I’m not judging,” Jett said with a shrug. “I just hate to see you waste your time on him, that’s all.”
Why did he care who I spent my time with? We’d barely said two words to each other since the eighth grade. A million weak rebuttals shot to my mind at once, but I bit all of them back and forced myself to read the next statement on the board.
Romantic chemistry is a real thing.
I contemplated that for a moment, not sure how I’d answer. It didn’t strike a chord in me like the other one.
“I’d have to say yes to that one,” Jett mumbled under his breath. He moved even closer, allowing his elbow to graze my bare arm. “What do you think?”
A zip of tingles rushed through me as I set my gaze back on him. I inched my arm away again because his touch was making my brain go soft. “No,” I said in a whisper.
A half grin pulled at one side of his lips. Oh, man, I’d forgotten about that dimple. “No, what?” he challenged.
I needed to get serious about my position here, even if I’d only said no for argument’s sake. “Well,” I started, careful not to raise my voice. “I do not think romantic chemistry is a real thing because it suggests that people who don’t even like each other could be attracted to one another.” Why did it suddenly feel like I was describing the very phenomenon that was taking place in that moment?
I kept up with my argument. “And since I think that’s impossible, I have to assume that this so-called chemistry people are experiencing is based on respect and love and…you know, things that matter.”
“So does that mean you loved and respected me back in kindergarten when you—”
“Shhh,” I scolded, not wanting him to say it aloud, even if we were just whispering amongst ourselves. Geez, would he ever let go of that one? “I was curious when we were in kindergarten and you happened to be the slowest boy on the playground, which is the only reason I was able to catch you.” Lie.
“And kiss me,” he said.
Just hearing the words kiss me come from those lips while he was so close and yummy-smelling set me off balance in a major way. Come on, Harper. Snap out of it.
I pulled in a sharp breath and shifted in my seat. “You know, I’m starting to think that moment on the playground was the highlight of your life. And if it is, I feel sorry for you.”
A laugh sounded from deep in his throat. “Maybe it was.” His expression turned cryptic. “And we almost had a second chance at it. Until you chickened out.”
My skin came alive with all sorts of conflicting tingles. He remembered that night too. The party at Connor’s place. The one celebrating the end of middle sc
hool and the start of new adventures at Sweet Water High. Jett had made a fool of me in front of everyone, so I’d given it right back to him and basically hated him ever since. The thing was, his words seemed to be laced with regret.
At once, I pictured another offense: his ex-girlfriend, Tasha, smearing bright red lipstick over her pouty lips in the locker room a few months back. “I heard you used to chase my boyfriend down and kiss him on the playground,” she accused.
I hadn’t given her a response, only finished tying my shoes so I could get away from one of Sweet Water High’s top MG’s (code for mean girls).
“He says you still have a crush on him even now,” she’d added. A cluster of her cronies laughed in the corner, whispering over high-pitched giggles.
My mom had always taught me that adamant denials made the accused appear guilty—the whole protesting too much sort of thing. And as much as I’d wanted to protest, as much as I’d wanted to say something like in his dreams or your boyfriend is delusional, I hadn’t said a thing. Only snatched my gym bag off the ground, hiked it over my shoulder, and hurried into the hall.
Needless to say, Tasha had gotten the info from Jett, which reminded me of why I wasn’t exactly a fan of his. A reminder I sort of needed with all the feels of attraction simmering through my body.
I managed to keep quiet the remainder of class, mainly because my mind was stuck trying to figure out how I would deal with being Jett’s partner. I hated that I was attracted to him, and I didn’t know what to do about all the tingles that zipped through me at his touch and his scent and even the low, raspy sound of his voice.
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