“Don’t do it,”I begged an hour later.
Liam grinned and quirked his eyebrows, his dimple making an appearance. I was back to wanting to slug him. “Are you sure?”
“I’m begging you, please, Liam. No.”
“Just one more.”
I righted myself in the seat and turned in his direction. My eyes narrowed in warning. “If you skip through another song without listening to it all the way through, I will personally rip the radio out and throw it in the nearest swamp as gator bait.”
He gasped, and his hand dropped from the controls. He looked as offended as he had when I forced him to wear a pink tie to prom to match my dress. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me,” I said through gritted teeth.
His lips pulled into a smile and we both jumped when the car behind us laid on the horn. He snorted out a laugh and hit the gas. “You win for now.”
“Seriously, I don’t understand how you listen to music that way. You never finish a song. What’s the point? And don’t you dare quoteSupernatural! You’re the one who dragged me on this trip, so shotgun gets to pick the music.”
“Fine, fine. This one time you can choose.”
He patted my knee and I flushed at the feeling of his palm on me. It may have been through the fabric of my jeans, but now that my body knew how he felt in other places it was like I couldn’t stop thinking about having his hands on me…everywhere. I swallowed, hoping my voice wouldn’t betray my thoughts. “You’re such a good friend,” I said, more to remind myself than him.
“Don’t make me regret this,” he warned. The twangy plucking of guitar strings filled the truck, and he sighed heavily, removing his hand. “Charlie.”
I frowned at the disappointment that flooded me. Maybe going with him so soon after hadn’t been such a good idea. Even though I was afraid of losing him this summer, the last thing I needed was to be cooped up in a small space with him and wishing he would touch me. I tried to refocus on the banter that had always come so easy to us, but any conversation took monumental effort. “Don't judge, Walsh. You focus on the road and let the DJ handle the tunes.”
“I’m already regretting it,” he said.Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice my inner turmoil. I should be thankful, but in the back of my mind I wondered how he could be acting so normal after what had happened.
I flicked a glance in his direction and cast out a mental net for another safe topic of conversation. One that didn’t involve tongues, or hands, or close spaces. “Was your mom okay with us coming over?” I asked.There. His mom wasdefinitelya safe topic. She loved me, but I’m certain she wouldn’t think too kindly if she knew the thoughts I was having about her son.
“Yes. She said she’s looking forward to seeing the both of us. She wanted me to remind you that you promised to help her weed the garden and she’s holding you to it while you’re visiting.”
I went quiet for a few minutes as I scrolled through his phone and tried to think of something else to say. His playlists numbered in the thousands and it always made me smile to tease him about how he hoarded music like I hoarded chocolate. I glanced up to study him as he drove. The glow from the dash illuminated the strong, clean lines of his face. His close-cropped hair was now covered in a baseball cap, Braves I bet. He was a die-hard fan. My heart squeezed inside my chest and I looked back down at his phone.
He flicked my ear and I scowled up at him. “You hear me?”he asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. God, Liam. I heard you.”
“You don’t have to call me God,” he said with a smirk.
Despite my worries, laughter bubbled up from my throat. “You’re so full of yourself.”
He tugged on one lock of hair framing my face. “That’s why you love me.”
My response stuck in my throat and I could only smile shakily.
I loved Liam, I did. But I didn’tlovehim.
Right?
Chapter Four
Charlie
Something tickledmy face and I groaned, trying to bat it away with one hand.
“Charlie.”
“Ugh,” I mumbled, and turned my face away from the annoyance.
