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“I’m working through it,” she croaks, as if trying to convince me.
I settle my palm on her jaw, my heart racing when she presses into it. “I know you, and you’ll get there, babe. And I’m going to be right here. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. Always.”
Her gaze lifts, locks on mine. Seconds feel like minutes. Finally, she says, “It’s getting late, and I’ve got an early class tomorrow.”
My heart sinks, just an inch, but I can see it in her eyes. She’s afraid of what’s happening between us, or what never stopped happening. “Okay.” I get to my feet, ignore the tightening in my chest as she follows me to her door. She reaches around, opening it for me, and I step out, turning to her as I do. “Thanks for dinner.”
She offers a smile. “You’re welcome.”
“Don’t go disappearing on me, okay?”
“I won’t. I promise.”
I shove my hands in my pockets to stop myself from reaching out and touching her. Anywhere. As long as it’s her. “I’ll see ya.”
“Uh huh.”
I rear back when she practically slams the door in my face. Confused, I force myself to step away. One step. Two. A thud sounds from behind her door, and I freeze, wait. She’s talking now, and curiosity gets the better of me. I know I shouldn’t, but I do. I walk back, my footsteps light, and press my ear to her door.
“Stupid, Ava. Stupid, stupid, stupid!” The door rattles with each of her stupids. There’s shuffling, and then footsteps fading, and I almost walk away when seconds of silence pass. Then I hear her again: “Amy!” She’s almost yelling. “Yeah, he just left.”
This is wrong. I shouldn’t be listening. But…
“No, I didn’t lick his face, but I wanted to!”
My grin is pathetic.
“No, I didn’t hump his leg! Quit making fun of me!”
I stifle my laugh.
“God, Amy… he’s everything I remember him to be,” she says, and I press my ear closer because I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I hear her moving around the kitchen, picture her there with the phone to her ear, trashing the take-out boxes. “I told him everything I wanted to.”…“Yeah, even that.”…“His reaction was… perfect. Everything he said and did was… perfect.”…“Dammit, Amy. He’s so good. Like, everything about him just… he’s the peace to my chaos.”…“Because I got scared, obviously.”…“Of course, I didn’t want him to leave, but—” Hearing that, I find myself raising my fist, knocking twice. “Shit, I have to go.”
I step back, act casual. All while my heart beats wild inside me.
She opens the door, her face flustered, just like the first time. “Hi.”
“I think I left my keys in here.”
“Oh, okay.” She steps to the side, opening the door wider for me.
With a smile I can’t seem to shake, I go to the kitchen first, pretend to look around. I check the stool I’d been sitting on. “Hmm. I don’t know where they could be.”
“Maybe the couch,” she offers, making her way there. I stand behind her, my eyes glued to her ass when she bends over, reaching in between the cushions. She lifts some throw pillows, searching under there. I’m too late to avert my gaze when she spins to me. “They’re not there.” And when she realizes exactly what I’d been doing, she glares, her eyes thinned to slits. “Pervert.”
I shrug.
Then she eyes me up and down, still glaring. “Do not move,” she orders.
I lock every muscle in place.
Her hands reach up, settling on my stomach. Holding my eyes captive, she slides them lower, lower, until she brushes an inch above my—“Connor!”
“What?”
She reaches into my pocket, pulls out my keys. “Your keys are right—” That’s as far as she gets before I press my mouth to hers, inhaling the gasp that comes from it. I grasp her face in both my hands, pause, hold her there. With her bottom lip caught between mine, I tilt my head, run my tongue along the seam of her lips, asking, begging for permission. But she doesn’t give in to my desires. In fact, she doesn’t move at all. Doesn’t breathe. I wait another beat, hope dying in my chest, and then I pull back, my eyes closed, humiliation flooding every cell. “Sorry,” I whisper, releasing her.
“No, you’re not,” she murmurs, and I open my eyes to see her watching me.
