# Chapter 16: The Kiss That Wasn’t Supposed to Mean Anything
Hello everyone, it’s me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 16 of "The Deal: Off Campus"—and oh my goodness, what a chapter this is. If you thought the tension between Hannah and Garrett couldn’t get any hotter, you are about to be proven wonderfully, painfully wrong. This is the chapter where a childish dare turns into something neither of them can pretend away.
We begin with Hannah Wells feeling like she’s been flung backward in time to a third-grade playground. Why? Because Garrett Graham is goading her into kissing him. Not asking. Not flirting in any normal way. Goading. He’s wearing that cocky grin, tossing out ridiculous lines about her being intimidated by his “potent masculinity,” and acting like she’s too scared to prove herself. Hannah, being Hannah, refuses to back down. She tells him she’s a fantastic kisser and that sadly, he will never get to find out. But Garrett keeps pushing, and pushing, until he offers her a “free pass” if she’s too scared.
That’s the moment the trap snaps shut. Hannah says fine. Let’s do it.
And just like that, the air between them changes.
Garrett’s gray eyes darken to smoky silver. There’s heat there now, and self-assurance, as if he never expected her to actually call his bluff. Hannah tells herself she isn’t attracted to him, that she doesn’t want this, that it’s just a kiss. But her body is already betraying her. Her hands tremble, not from nerves but from anticipation. Her heart races. When she imagines his mouth on hers, everything inside her goes electric.
He inches closer. Their thighs touch. She can see his pulse throbbing in his throat. He mocks her softly, “Come on. We don’t have all night, baby.” And that smug little taunt is exactly what pushes her over the edge. She reaches up, touches his cheek, sweeps her thumb over his jaw. His breath hitches. She waits for him to stop her. He doesn’t. So she closes the distance and presses her mouth to his.
The second their lips meet, everything explodes.
Waves of heat unfurl inside her, starting at her mouth and rippling down her body. He tastes like peppermint gum, and the minty flavor floods her senses. Her lips part on their own, and Garrett takes full advantage, sliding his tongue inside. When their tongues tangle, he makes a low, growling sound in the back of his throat, and the erotic vibration shakes her to her core. Panic jolts through her, and she breaks the kiss.
She tries to sound unaffected. “There. How was that?” But her voice wobbles, and Garrett hears it. His eyes are molten. He tells her it wasn’t long enough for him to properly judge. He needs more to go on.
Then his big hand cups her cheek. She should leave. She knows she should leave. Instead, she leans in for another kiss.
And it’s even more incredible than the first. His stubble scratches her palm, and the sensation intensifies the pleasure already wrecking her. He is strong and masculine and so painfully sexy that she feels a fresh burst of need. She moans and deepens the kiss, her tongue exploring his mouth—not eagerly, but hungrily. Garrett threads his fingers through her hair and pulls her closer, one powerful arm curling around her hip to keep her in place. Her breasts crush against his hard chest. She can feel his heart hammering just as wildly as hers. His raw, husky groan tickles her lips and sends her pulse spiraling.
Something is happening to her. She can’t stop kissing him. He’s addictive. What started with her trying to prove a point has turned into something far more dangerous: she is no longer in control. Garrett kisses with skill and confidence that steals the breath from her lungs. He nibbles her bottom lip, and she feels an answering tug in her nipples. She presses a palm to his chest to ground herself. His lips leave hers and travel along her jaw, down to her neck, planting open-mouthed kisses that leave shivers in their wake. A tortured whimper escapes her, and she’s startled to realize it came from her own throat.
She wants his mouth back on hers. She thrusts a hand into his hair, but it’s too short to grab, so she pulls his head forward instead. He chuckles low. “Is this what you want?” he rasps. Then his lips find hers again, and he thrusts that talented tongue into her mouth. A moan leaves her throat at the exact moment the bedroom door swings open.
“Hey, G, I need to borrow a n—"
Dean. He grinds to a halt.
Hannah tears her mouth away and shoots to her feet. Dean’s grin takes up his entire face, his green eyes twinkling as her cheeks scorch. She has just been caught making out with Garrett Graham. And worse—she was enjoying it. She blurts out that he isn’t interrupting, but Dean looks like he’s fighting back laughter. He drawls about “all that deep, intensive tutoring,” air-quoting the last word. His teasing makes her panic. She doesn’t want him thinking she and Garrett are involved, that they’ve been fooling around behind everyone’s backs. So she tells Dean the truth in the most casual voice she can muster: Garrett is just helping her brush up on her make-out skills.
It sounds insane out loud. But she doubles down. She has a date coming up, and Garrett thinks she doesn’t have any moves. They are not into each other. At all. She turns to Garrett for confirmation. “Right, Garrett?” He clears his throat, voice gravelly, and says, “Right.”
But Dean isn’t letting her off that easily. He calls her bluff. If she’s worried about being a crappy kisser, she needs a second opinion. He offers himself up with a challenge in his brows. Garrett mutters at him to stop being a jackass, but Hannah—shaken, confused, and desperate to prove that Garrett’s kiss didn’t wreck her—says Dean has a point. Her brain screams at her, but she walks over to Dean and kisses him.
There’s no heat. No tingles. No overpowering desperation. Kissing Dean is nothing compared to kissing Garrett. Dean seems to enjoy it, groaning when she parts her lips, but Hannah feels only emptiness. She steps back, puts on a nonchalant face, and asks, “Well?” Dean’s eyes are glazed. He clears his throat and tells her she has nothing to worry about.
She smiles, but the humor dissolves when she turns and sees Garrett rising from the bed. His chiseled face is darker than a thundercloud. “Hannah,” he starts roughly. But she can’t listen. She doesn’t want to think about that kiss anymore. Or ever. The memory alone makes her head spin and her heart pound. So she rushes out a good luck for his makeup tomorrow, gathers her things, and hurries out of the room.
And that, dear readers, is how Chapter 16 leaves us—breathless, embarrassed, and absolutely certain that nothing between Hannah and Garrett will ever be simple again.
## Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating
This chapter is pure, crackling electricity. It balances humor and heat so perfectly that I found myself laughing one second and fanning my face the next. Hannah’s internal panic is so relatable—the way she tries to convince herself she doesn’t want Garrett, even as her body screams otherwise. And Garrett? The moment he changes from teasing to intense, from cocky to hungry, is absolutely delicious. Dean’s interruption is both hilarious and devastating, and Hannah kissing Dean as a “second opinion” is such a chaotic, human mistake. The jealousy on Garrett’s face at the end says everything he refuses to say out loud. This chapter is a turning point, and it hurts so good.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars
## Next Chapter Prediction
After that disaster, Garrett is going to be moody, jealous, and far too quiet. He’ll probably try to act like the kiss meant nothing, but his thundercloud expression promises otherwise. Hannah will avoid him, throw herself into her upcoming date, and pretend she isn’t replaying every second of their kiss in her head. But they still have tutoring, and they still have to face each other. I predict Garrett will confront her—maybe not directly about the kiss, but about Dean, about the date, about why she ran. And when he does, the tension is going to snap again. Dean will definitely tease them both. And somewhere in the middle of all that denial, Garrett Graham is going to realize he wants Hannah for real. The next chapter is going to be a beautiful, painful mess of jealousy, longing, and maybe—finally—an honest conversation.
To listen free the next reviews chatpers, please access website novelsaudio.com and search keyword: The Deal: Off Campus or click the link in the description of this video or if you want to listen or read full the The Deal: Off Campus please access website Novelsaudio.com