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“It’s okay, as long as you have someone with you.”
The door opens and Jackson comes in, less shocked than I am to run into Mom. He grabs a glass and takes over stirring. While she’s distracted, his attention cuts to me.
“Thought you had to take a piss,” Jackson mutters.
I shrug. What is with everyone giving me the third degree for going out? I’m eighteen. It’s healthy to socialize. Surprisingly, Mom’s the only one who seems cool. But she also doesn’t know what Jackson and Simone do—that I was hanging out with Coop most of the night.
“Where did you go?” Mom asks. “I heard about a concert happening.”
“Mariner’s Cove.” Jackson pours lemonade into his glass and his mouth curves in appreciation. “It was a bonfire party. Nothing major.”
I hold my breath, waiting for him to say I showed up without telling him I’d be there. He doesn’t. Sibling code kicks in—my brother’s got my back. It only makes me feel worse for kind of breaking our promise to stay away from friends.
My phone vibrates in my hand and I clasp it to my chest so Jackson and Mom won’t see. It might not be…but just in case it’s from Coop, I won’t give us away. My heart thuds.
“Night,” I say.
“Goodnight, sweetie. I’m glad you had a good time.” Mom kisses my head. “It’s nice to see you getting out more.”
“Yup. It’s great.”
I skirt around them and head for the stairs, avoiding Jackson’s eye. His nosy gaze bores into my back as I hurry up the steps to get to the safety of my room.
With a relieved breath when I reach my goal, I lean back against my closed door and slowly peek at my phone. I bite my lip at the notification—a text from Cooper. It says one thing, but it’s enough to make my stomach dip.
Cooper:Tomorrow night, 9pm study session.
Heat throbs between my legs. This won’t be a cram session with books and notes. Pressing the back of my hand to my flushed cheeks, I cross the room and take out my notebook. The uncheckedlose virginityline stands out against the floral-patterned page. My fingers shake as I send back a response to say I’ll be there.
TWELVE
COOPER
This time I wait for Tatum outside, watching from the shadows by my door as she sneaks out. She startles once she makes out my form in the dark, clutching her chest.
“Jesus,” she hisses.
I grin. “I am the ni—”
“If you’re about to make a Batman joke right now, I can’t even with you.” Tatum elbows past me, hesitating only a moment before awkwardly letting herself into my house.
It stirs a funny sensation in my chest. I’m comfortable at the Danvers’ place, and Jackson half-lives at mine, but Tatum isn’t used to my house. I like the idea of her letting herself in without thinking.
She doesn’t speak again until we make it to my bedroom, too busy pausing at corners and tiptoeing around while I follow. She’s so cute, it’s difficult not to laugh. I’ve never felt this—never been almost jittery to touch a girl.
Tonight she’s rocking a light pink long sleeve t-shirt and the same terry cloth sleep shorts from before. I scrape my teeth over my lip at the thought of peeling them down her legs.
“So, is study session going to be our code word?” Tatum asks while I lock the door.
“Does Jackson snoop through your texts?”
“No, but it’s not like he never sees my phone. It’s a good cover.” She grins. “Should we actually study? I’ll need to assess where you’re at to know how to help at some point for our little deal. I brought a fresh notebook so we can organize everything into categories.”
With a rumble, I pull her closer, effectively shutting her up. “We’re going to do a different kind of studying tonight.”
“Oh.” It puffs out of her on a soft breath.
The corner of my mouth tugs up in a lopsided grin. She feels good in my arms. Her body is the perfect size to fit against me as if we belong like this. A tremor runs down her spine, and I chase it, rubbing her back in soothing circles. She might claim to be ready to go all reverse cowgirl, but I can read her.
