It's getting lemony all up in here. See that italicized part? Yup that's it. ;D

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Warren's POV

She kissed me, and the tree outside my house exploded through my window. She smiled against my lips and my hands burned with an almost literal fire as one grabbed her curvy ass, and the other slipped under her shirt. All the heat in my hand went straight to my thumb as it grazed over her bra-clad nipple. She moaned into my mouth and I slipped my right knee between her legs. She ground against me and she moaned even louder.

I pulled my mouth to her ear and whispered, "I love your moans, but how about I make you scream?" My hands went to her soft red hair and hers slipped my shirt over my head. She grazed her teeth over my earlobe and…

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BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

I woke up gasping for air with my sheets tangled around my legs. I slammed my hand over the alarm clock. My skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat. I de-tangled myself and gazed down at my lap.

"Well shit. That's going to be hell to take care of." I had a huge erection. Christ! I had only known the girl for a day! A fucking day! And I was already having sex dreams about her. Well her, and her silky hair, and her creamy skin, and her beautiful eyes, and her soft voice, and… Whoa, whoa, whoa. I really needed help.

But even though I lusted after her like no other, I couldn't wait to see her today, to talk to her, to smile and laugh with her. And most of all, I wanted to protect her from whatever that asshole Will was probably planning to "get her back". She had always deserved someone better.

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I was on Lyla's front doorstep, with my long pointer finger poised over the doorbell, when she opened the door and almost ran into me. Either she forgot who I was, or she didn't care because she made no effort to rein her emotions.

"Warren! You nearly scared me to death!" She smacked me on the chest and I stepped back to let her lock the door behind her. We stepped off the curb and I started to talk.

"Well, hello to you too, Layla. Yes, I am having a good day. You seem especially cheery this morning." I looked over at her and smirked and she smacked me again, this time on my arm. We both laughed and carried on in a comfortable silence towards the bus stop. We were a few feet away when Layla slowed her walking and her face paled.

"What's wrong?" I asked and she looked over to the bus stop bench where Will and Jennifer Frost were making out! Layla looked up at me and I thought she was going to cry. Will came up for air and his eyes widened as he saw Layla standing next to me. I slid my hand down her arm and joined her hand, intertwining our fingers. She dug her thumbnail into the side of my warm hand and I gave her fingers a light squeeze, reassuring her that this physical contact was okay. Actually, it was amazing, but I wasn't about to let anyone know that.

By the time we had walked to the bench, the bus had appeared. Layla led the way, our hands still joined, as she climbed up the small steps. She found an empty seat near the back and slipped into the window spot. Naturally, I followed her and slid into the remaining space.

In that moment, she looked fragile and helpless, so I never let go of her hand.

Wait. This was Layla for crying out loud! She could handle anything. But as I snuck a peek out of the corner of my eye, I wasn't so sure. Her eyes were teetering on bloodshot and I wondered if she had already let a few tears loose.

One slid down her cheek, and before my rational thoughts caught up with my instincts, I leaned over and kissed the salty drop away.

I heard a quick gasp behind me and I whipped my head around to see Jennifer Frost looking utterly shocked and Will staring daggers at the back of my head. I just smirked and turned back around to unhooked our fingers. A worried look flashed over her face, but she was quickly settled by the weight of my arm over her shoulders. She happily sighed and curled into my side for the rest of the bus trip.

And I was blissfully happy.

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It wasn't until Layla and I walked off the bus, fingers intertwined again, that I realized we didn't have any classes together.

She sounded so sad when she spoke. "How on earth am I going to survive today without you? I mean, seventy percent of the school is out on this lawn and they've already seen Will and Jennifer together. And that means they've already seen us too. That means that they probably assume we're together, and..." Her voice had become frantic, so I interjected to avoid a breakdown of some sort.

"Layla, first, we have to get our story straight. Do you want to be together, like officially?" I hated the words, even as they were rolling off my tongue. I sounded so weird. But not to be deterred, Layla nodded, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Damn, she was sexy.

As the day progressed, I finally realized how different I was with Layla. During school, I was withdrawn, cynical, and made no physical, verbal, or emotional contact with anyone. At last, Mad Science ended and I grabbed my bag to head to lunch.

Lunch!

I had lunch with Layla! If you might have been watching when I came to this realization, you wouldn't even know of my happiness. Maybe you noticed a slight quickening of my step, and that was all. I had become very good at hiding my emotions. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket and I checked the screen.

Layla: Meet me under the tree you were sitting at when you found me. Bring your lunch. ;)

I smiled a half smile and made a one-eighty, heading for the back of the school.

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Was I nervous? Because as soon as I spotted her under that weeping willow, my heart started to race. She was so adorable, so beautiful, and so sexy.

I wanted her. Bad.

She stood up when she saw me and ran over to give me a huge hug, which I absolutely loved. God, she made me so mushy. And I didn't even mind.

We sat down underneath the tree, me leaning against it with her in my lap. We talked and laughed and she even dared me to try some tofu. It wasn't too bad. She had a bite of vegetable lo mein and was instantly in love. She made me feel amazing. And as she cuddled up to me, she told me I made her feel amazing too.

I think I might be in love.

I could only hope Layla felt the same way.