Page 59 of Apparently, I’m Torture

She shook her head. “Nope. Women evolved from mermaids. I can feel it in my fish bones. It’s why I get seasick, you know.”

I let out another laugh; the image of Lilly barfing over the side of a boat with a fishtail growing out of her ass was funnier than I wanted it to be.

This was so easy. Right here and now, just the two of us. I could see this becoming something. I loved being around her like this. Hearing her laugh, making her smile… I couldn’t imagine a time or a place where those small things didn’t make waking every day feel worth it.

“Shawn?”

“Lilly?”

“Do you think I’ll pass this time?”

I clucked my tongue and stretched out beside her. She looked up at me with the weight of the world in her gaze.

“You’ll pass. If I could do it, so can you.”

She raised a brow. “Shawn, you’re not a great indicator of whether or not I’ll pass.”

“Why not?”

“Because you have the highest grades in our program. This exam was so easy for you.” She let out a sad sigh. “But I failed. And it wasn’t the first time I failed, either. Exams are like a foreign language to me, and… maybe I’m not cut out for any of this. It was stupid for me to think I could ever be like my mom.”

Before now, I’d been trying not to touch her, but as Lilly’s voice cracked and her eyes glassed over, I couldn’t do anything but put my arms around her.

“Lil, no. You’ll pass this time, I know you will,” I whispered into her hair and held her tight, but as she sniffed against my chest, and buried her fingers in my shirt, I knew comforting her like this was a mistake.

It was heady being this close. I had her in my arms; I could feel the softness of her body against mine. I brushed my fingers against the smooth skin at the nape of her neck, and traced the base of her hairline. What I wouldn’t give to run my hands through her thick brown hair, wrap it around my hand, and tug until her chin lifted, lips parted, and I could finally taste her.

And that smell. It’d been weeks since I could take in her scent. Toasted cinnamon and honey. I didn’t realize how badly I’d missed it until now. A current was thrumming under my skin, liquid heat bursting inside me. Control was slipping. I could feel it.

I shifted, forcing myself to loosen my hold on her, and the blankets rustled underneath me. She pulled back, following my lead, and my chest wound up at her eyeline. Her glance dropped to my pecs, and she let out a giggle.

My voice was hoarse as I asked, “What?”

“Nothing. Just thinking about how insane your chest looks in that shirt.”

And despite the solid, aching need she just inspired, I had to laugh.

“Like what you see, Fares?”

She screwed up her cute little nose, but couldn’t hide the blush creeping across her cheeks. “Maybe a little. But you know what would make this–” she waved her hand in front of my chest “–even better?”

“What?”

With lightning-quick reflexes, she reached back, scooped up a cupcake, and smeared the pink frosting all over my shirt.

“Holy–”

She laughed as I jerked up and stared down at the pink splattered all over my chest. “Consider it payback for my cardigan.” She winked, and took a bite of what was left in her hand.

I shut an eye, pursed my lips, and reached behind her to take a cupcake from the tray. She made a high-pitched noise, jumped up, and ran around the backroom as I chased her. Her laugh was infectious, and I couldn’t stop myself from wrapping an arm around her waist as I pushed a cupcake into her horrible sweater.

As her laugh faded, she looked down at the mess I made, and said, “I have to take this one off too. Damn it, Shawn, it’s like you have a vendetta against my sweaters or something.”

Still laughing, I slid my hands down her hips, and reluctantly let her go. Stepping aside to give her space, I looked over my shoulder at the jumbled state of the cushions, treats and textbooks on the ground.

“Shawn?” Lilly’s muffled voice had an edge of panic to it, and when I turned back to her, I froze in place, stunned.

Lilly’s arms were in the air, her black tee was stuck to her sweater, and both were bundled around her head. Her creamy, perky breasts were cupped in a cotton bra, and the silky, pale skin of her waist was exposed. She gave a hopeful tug at the fabric, and her breasts bounced.