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“Getting cocky now, huh?”
He laughed. “I saw you staring at me out the kitchen window of my house when I swam. But you’ve dated a bit, so I wasn’t sure if you were still interested.”
“I am.”
His wide grin warmed my heart as I realized all the pieces of my life were coming together. Scott Kinglikedme. My family was mostly stable. And Amy was back home.
Amy.
How could I do this to her? I couldn’t date her brother. Not yet. Not when they hadn’t made up yet. I felt like a traitor. She was still angry with Scott about how he treated her and Lucas, and she didn’t know that he wanted to apologize yet. How could we go to her and be like, “Surprise! We’re dating now! And Scott isn’t so bad after all!”
Slowly, I pulled my hand away from his. Confusion filled his features, and he blinked at me a few times.
“I can’t,” I whispered. “I can’t do this to Amy.”
“Can’t do what?” he asked.
“I feel awful for lying to her, but I’m not ready to tell her yet. They just moved home. I want her to settle in and get used to living here again, without her parents’ interference, before I pull something like this on her.”
“Don’t you think she’d be happy for us?” he asked.
I laughed sarcastically. “Yeah, right. She’s still upset with you. Here I am, hanging out with you behind her back, and now dating? ‘Happy’ is not the right word for how she’d feel.”
He heaved a sigh. “So, what now?”
I shook my head. “I . . . I don’t know. I need to think.”
Resigned, he nodded his head. I looked down at my delicious food, wishing I could pick up another forkful and enjoy the best meal I’d had in a long time, but I didn’t have the stomach for it anymore. I pushed my chair back and stood up.
“I think I should go. Thank you so much for dinner. I’ll . . . I’ll talk to you soon.”
Emotions swirled around Scott’s eyes. Disappointment. Confusion. Frustration. But he didn’t express himself very often, so he just nodded his head. “You’re welcome.” He stood up and took the plates to the kitchen.
I took my chance to escape as quickly as I could. I grabbed my purse off the couch and rushed to the front door, trying to leave before Scott could say anything else to make this more awkward. I opened the door, but Scott’s arm appeared over my shoulder and slammed it shut. He grabbed me by the waist, pushed me up against the door, and the next thing I knew, his mouth was on mine.
I had dreamed about kissing Scott ever since I was twelve years old and he would trick us with fake spiders in Amy’s bed. He was obnoxious, but I wanted him. Kissing him was like a fire that burned from my belly, the flames erupting from our lips and raging together. The chemistry between us was insane. My hands roamed up his chest, around the back of his neck, pulling him tighter to me. He made a low sound in his throat, and it made me want him even more. I couldn’t get enough of him. And if he wanted me too, that was the icing on the cake.
He pulled back and peered into my eyes. “So?” He grinned wickedly.
“You can be quite convincing,” I murmured, leaning in for another kiss.
He pulled back before my lips reached their target. “Is that a yes? Are we dating now?”
I blinked a few times, trying to clear my mind. Is that what I wanted? Did I want to actually date Scott King?
Of course Iwantedto. I’d be insane to say no. He was kind, charming, and sexy. He cared about his friends and family, and went to great lengths to protect them.
But he was also my best friend’s brother. And he had been cut out of said best friend’s life.
“I don’t want drama,” I said firmly. “I have too much going on for that. What you and I have is easy. I don’t want to complicate things with Amy. So we can date, as long as we keep it on the down low. At least until you and Amy have reconciled.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “That’s supposed to keep things uncomplicated? Secretly dating sounds pretty complicated to me.”
I huffed. “What’s more complicated is telling Amy. We both don’t need that right now. So let’s see where this goes before we freak Amy out. Or your parents.”
He looked back and forth between my eyes, debating the pros and cons. “I guess I can work with that. But only until I’ve reconciled with Amy.” He punctuated his statement with a kiss on my nose. “For now, you’re my little secret.”
Butterflies danced around my stomach. Maybe keeping it secret would be fun, too. I smiled up at him, but my stomach grumbled, interrupting the romantic moment.
Scott huffed a laugh. “Still hungry, huh?”
I shrugged. “I barely got to take a couple bites.”
“Then you’ll stay, right?” he asked in a hopeful tone. “I even got tiramisu for dessert.”
This man knew the way to my heart. I nodded. “But only to eat. And kiss. Nothing more.” I wanted to make sure he knew my boundaries before we let things get too far. Because those kisses could make me forget myself.
He kissed my lips one more time in agreement. “That sounds perfect. Let’s go eat.”
