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"And that's why you hated me?" she asks, a note of pain in her voice.
"You made it look easy. You made it through your grief and fit in. You filled your life with love when it could have been filled with pain. I couldn't do that, and I was damaged by it," I confess in an almost whisper.
"There are things you never get over," she says.
"I know. But inside, I thought it wasn't fair, and I— I'm sorry. I was a real jerk to you for years, for no justifiable reason."
"You were," she says in a hushed voice.
"Yet, I didn't care. I was so irrevocably in love with you, even though you were such an ass," She laughs nervously.
Her words catch me by surprise. "You were in love with me?" I ask, shock flowing through me when she nods. There is a slight pink tinge to her cheeks, making her look more beautiful than ever.
"Grayson never told you that? That's why I hovered around you all the time. I was dying to have your attention, even though you didn’t give me the kind of attention I wanted."
"I didn't know," I whisper, watching her face as she nods again while biting her lip.
"I— I guess at some point I matured and let go of that silly, harmful childish crush." There is a touch of sadness in her voice that hurts me.
But her body isn't telling me the same thing. Her fingers continue tracing small circles around the hair on my forearms, while her torso is close enough to mine that I can feel the warmth of her skin.
"You lie," I say, letting my own hands climb up her forearms and feeling a shiver run through her as I caress the bare skin on one of her shoulders with the arm I have wrapped around her.
"I don't." Penny’s voice is breathy and I sense she’s on the verge of surrendering to what I suspect is the truth.
When she looks up and her eyes meet mine, I know I can no longer resist her.
"Your body gives you away," I say as she bites her bottom lip.
My hand moves up to her face, releasing the pressure of her jaw as I caress her lip, slightly moist from her tongue.
She opens her mouth more for me, and her lips move, just a little, over the pad of my thumb, leaving a ghost of a touch that I find irresistible.
"I—" she begins to speak, closing her eyes and breathing in slowly and deeply, trying in vain to control herself.
Penny turns her face away suddenly, as if trying not to give in to me. But I know as I look at her that I can no longer be without her.
Rules be damned.
My hand catches her chin, gently turning her face toward mine. Our eyes meet, and at last, I know that all had been said between us.
Slowly, I let my thumb move up, as I caress her cheek. "You're still in love with me.”
"No," she says in a broken voice, an obvious lie.
The faintness in her voice does nothing but turn me on. Self-control is no longer an option as I stare at the undeniable work of art that is Penelope Gould.
I'm sorry,I want to tell my best friend, between darting thoughts.You asked the wrong person to take care of her. Of all people, you turned to the wolf to watch over Little Red Riding Hood.
Penny searches my face with her gaze. The request in her expression is evident.
"Deny this," I say then, swooping in closer to her.
Her breathing is choppy, but she doesn't turn away from me. Instead, I watch her as her eyes, large and intense, remain fixed on my face.
My body moves closer to hers, curving to fit her figure, as Penny settles into me, following my movements and even lying with the nape of her neck against my arm. With my other hand, I hold her face, caressing her cheeks as my thumb parts her lips for me.
She breathes in slowly and a soft moan leaves her lips. I feel her warmth against my fingers, more than willing, as my mouth moves closer to hers.
