As I watched them play, I tried to remember if it had been the same way when we were just friends. It must have at least been similar, otherwise we wouldn’t have been so drawn together for so long. Which made me wonder if we were together because we were such good friends or were we friends because this thing between us was so strong.
An hour later, I propped her up with one arm as we stumbled our way outside to an Uber. We’d both had one too many tequila shooters and after a couple rounds of cards had started giggling at every damn thing.
“Did you know your hair is just the cutest thing?” she squealed as I carried her out of the Uber to my front door. Tripp and Dash were following behind with my car. Tripp because it was spring training and he couldn’t drink much, Dash because he didn’t drink—at all. Ever. When I’d asked, Charlie wouldn’t say.
“My hair, huh?” I said and had to fight to keep her hands from wandering all over my body—at least until we got behind closed doors.
“I like having you around,” she said when we stumbled inside. “You’re like a sexy, snuggly bear.”
“Oh, am I?”
Her giggle was muffled as she started kissing her way down my chest. Finally, I gave up trying to let her walk to the door while she was so distracted and simply picked her up again. This both helped and hindered because she was able to focus completely on kissing, licking, and nipping at my skin instead of walking, but I grew more and more distracted the longer she went at it.
“Jesus Christ, Charlie. You’re killing me.”
“I want you naked, Liam. You’re wearing too many clothes.” She said the last bit in my ear on a moan.
I was about ready to break the damn door down when it finally opened. I wanted it to last forever. I wanted to spread her out underneath me and take her slowly, torturously, but that’s not what happened. We slammed into the house, the front door flying back and crashing against the wall.
“There goes your security deposit,” Charlie said against my mouth.
“You mean there goes your security deposit.”
“I didn’t pay a security deposit for this place,” she reminded me as I sampled her throat.
“Clearly an oversight on my part. Fine, we’ll split any damages.”
I felt her laugh vibrate against my tongue. “So chivalrous, Mr. Walsh.”
Careful to catch her head with one hand, I guided her back against the wall and kicked the door close with my foot. “That’s me, baby.”
She snorted. “I’ll believe that when I see it.”
I carried her to the bedroom, then followed her down onto the bed and for a while, nothing mattered but the sighs and moans I stole from her.
** *
“What’s this?”
I cracked open an eye to find Charlie standing by the bed. She was holding my phone.
Shit.
I sat up and pressed my fingers to my eyes, hoping the pause before I had to respond would give me time enough to come up with an explanation. “What are you doing?”
“Your phone kept ringing. I got up to get a glass of water and turn it off.” Her voice was still hoarse from the shouting at Ember’s place and then all the shouting I’d made her do after. “You got accepted to UF?”
I didn’t want to lie to her. Couldn’t. So I said simply, “Yes.”
“I also saw you applied to California. You never told me.”
I sat up and pulled the sheet over my lap along the way as I leaned against the headboard. “I applied to schools all over the country. California was just one of them. I can’t afford to go there, but I’m going to take out loans. It’s the best program for me.”
She’d pulled on one of my shirts. It bagged around her and flirted with her legs. It made her look young and vulnerable. And hurt. Fuck, I didn’t want to hurt her. That was the last thing I wanted to do. But I had and it was already killing me.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It just happened. I was going to tell you.” I lifted a shoulder. “I just couldn’t figure out what to say. Besides, you’re leaving this summer, too.”
