Page 147 of Show Me

“I’m not staring.” The corner of my mouth tips upward despite my denial.

Her eyes dance as she arches her eyebrows, biting back laughter. “Yes, you are.”

Fine. I shake my head, push off the counter, and walk back to the couch. The TV keeps running. Squirt circles twice before dropping heavily onto the floor. Ruby flips another page.

I last maybe twenty minutes. “How much longer?”

“Until I’m done.”

“That wasn't a time.”

She rolls her eyes. “Very observant.”

Five more minutes. I check my phone. Change the channel. Check the clock. Ruby keeps writing. Screw this.

I cross the room and stop beside her.

She keeps her eyes on the page. “What?”

“I'm bored.”

“That sounds like a you problem.” She bites her bottom lip to keep from smiling, but I heard it in her voice.

“It is.” I take the pencil from her hand and set it on the table.

She glances up with what’s supposed to be an irritated expression, but there’s no heat behind it. At least, not that kind of heat. “Xavier.”

“Take a break.”

“I have homework.”

“You've had homework for three hours.”

“That's generally how college works.”

I lean down and kiss her. Her surprised laugh catches against my mouth before her hand curls into my shirt and pulls me back. That's all the encouragement I need.

My hand slides to her waist as the kiss deepens, her chair scraping back when she turns toward me. I step between her knees, and the textbook gets shoved farther across the table.

When we finally break apart, she's smiling. “You're a terrible influence.”

“You weren't getting anything done anyway.”

Her eyes narrow. “I was until someone spent twenty minutes staring at me.”

“Still wasn't staring.”

“Liar.”

I kiss her again before she can say anything else. Her homework can wait.

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Ruby

One Week Later

Bella’s text said casual get-together. In Brookhaven, that means half the people you love crammed into one living room, three crockpots going, and someone arguing about football before the coats are even off.