AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But I get to be here with you.” His gaze met mine, all humour gone. “And maybe I am crazy. I know it sounds like it because we’ve known each other for just a few weeks, but, Jeremiah,” he tapped my chest, “you’re my kind of crazy.”
His words made my heart knock against my ribs. His words, the way he looked at me, the way he always had to touch me. It made me shake my head. “I don’t get it.”
“Don’t get what?”
“I see you and the way you look at me. I’m not stupid. I know you like me. I can see that.” I ran my hand through my hair, embarrassed.
He snorted. “Yeah, of course. You’re my boyfriend. I’m supposed to like you.”
“But I don’t get why,” I whispered. “I’m waiting for the punchline or something. I don’t know. I’m usually the butt of the jokes, and you’re gorgeous and rich. You could have literally anyone you wanted.”
He frowned at me, and from the hurt in his eyes, I knew I’d offended him. “Tully, I—”
“You know what,” he said. “This is new to me too. This whole being in a relationship thing, having a boyfriend, it’s all new to me. I ain’t ever done this before and I feel so in over my head. I want to spend every second with you. I wanna touch you and kiss you all the fuckin’ time. It gives me butterflies.” He shook his head. “But if you don’t feel the same... if I came on too strong or if you felt pressured because you got lumped here—”
I fisted his shirt, pulled him in, and kissed him, but when we broke apart, he still wouldn’t look at me. God, I was going to have to say this stuff out loud. “You give me butterflies too,” I whispered. “I don’t know what I feel because I’ve never felt this before. The way you look at me, the way you hold me, it scares me because I’ve never...” I put my forehead to his chin. “It’s all new to me too. But if you feel this—” I took his hand and placed it over my heart. “—then I feel the same as you.”
His eyes met mine, an ocean of umber and honey. He leaned in and slowly pressed his lips to mine. “Thank you.” He smiled so serenely. “I needed to hear that. And you think you can’t be all mushy and shit. Look at you just now. Extra mush.”
“I wasn’t kidding about feeling my heart,” I mumbled. “I actually feel lightheaded after saying that.”
He laughed and a loud knock at the door startled us both. “I gave my key back, ya know,” Doreen yelled.
I scrambled to let her in. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you come in on the security camera.”
She barged in with Bruce under one arm. “You two weren’t testing the structural integrity of the control panel, were ya? Both look a little flustered.”
“Uh, no,” I began.
“I wanted to,” Tully said cheerfully, “but he shot me down.”
I was going to object, but she wasn’t paying me any attention. She looked him up and down. “Jeez. You scrub up okay, doncha? Wouldn’t have recognised ya if it weren’t for your flash car out the front.”
He grinned. “Love your shirt.”
Her shirt tonight had three big Scrabble tiles across the front.V,A, andG.
Because of course it did. It was better thanpussy licker, though.
Doreen laughed. “Thought I better wear a nice one in case anyone wants to interview me.” Then she looked at me. “Not like Mr Significant Weather Event celebrity here.”
I groaned. “Ugh. Don’t remind me.”
“It’s the new catch phrase, apparently,” Doreen said. She took her seat at the control panel. “Lock the gate on yer way out.”
Okay then. That was our cue to leave.
I gave Doreen back her keys, we collected our half-eaten dinner, and Tully followed me home. I wasn’t sure if we’d be continuing our conversation from before or if we’d said all that needed saying up to this point.
But he really did like me. He got butterflies because of me. As I did because of him. When he smiled at me, when he put his arms around me, when he kissed me.
It was a powerful feeling, knowing someone liked me. Thatheliked me. That this incredible man—who was miles out of my league—felt the same way about me. I wasn’t kidding when I said he could have anyone... but for some reason he chose me.
Walking into his house, he turned the TV on, then took two beers out of the fridge and handed me one. He nodded to the balcony.
He slipped his fingers through mine and led me outside. There was a storm on the horizon. I’d been watching the radars all day, so I knew it would be brief, but there was lightning activity over the ocean.
“Ah, perfect timing,” he said.
