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I cup her cheek. “But I do. I do feel the same way.”
Her gaze rises back to me, and I continue, “I was scared, too. Of ruining things. Being let down if you didn’t think of me like that. And I was scared of letting you in and losing you. But Ari, you’re already in my heart. You always have been.”
“Cash.” Her voice wobbles. “I feel the same way.”
How did such a horrible day turn out so perfectly?
I gather Ari in my arms, pressing soft kisses into her hair. After a pause, she tilts her head back to look at me. “So.” A smile spreads across her face. “Does this mean we’re dating? Not just friends?”
“Yes.” Leaning down, I capture her lips, tasting her again. Pulling away, I tell her, “You’re still my friend. But we areabsolutelydating.”
Chapter 11
ARI
Last night, Cash slept underthe covers with me.
We were still dressed, and we only kissed and didn’t come close to having sex, but still. Feeling his heat curved around me, the reassuring thump of his heart beating against my back, the way his arms would tighten around me and he’d sigh into my hair while he slept—
It was the best sleep I’ve had in ages.
Well, except for when I woke just as the sun was coming up, and Cash’s arousal was pressing into me, nudging between my legs from behind. That’sa new experience between us. My reaction was almost instant—nipples tightening, breasts throbbing, my core pulsing with need.
Each place Cash touched me—his arm around my waist, his big hand on my belly, the impressive length prodding me—my skin felt electric, little sizzles zinging through me. So I lay there, hyper-aware of his presence, wanting him, while I watched the sun get brighter as it filtered through the curtains.
Soon. That’s one thing I decided while I was getting ready for work this morning.
Cash wanted me to stay home for the day to recover, and he did his best last night to convince me. “I’m working from home, you could stay with me,” he bargained. “We could order takeout, anything you want. I could give you a massage…”
Tempting, but my juniors were presenting their book talks in class today, so I really needed to be there to see them. And I was feeling fine, so I had no real excuse to play hooky.
But soon…
I know Cash and I have only been dating for less than a day, but I’ve known him for years. And Iknowhow I feel about him. That’s not going to change in a week or a month. So what’s the point of waiting?
Would tonight be too soon?
I’ve never been this impatient to have sex with a guy before. Not that I’ve had all that many partners, a couple of short-lived relationships in college and one guy in my mid-twenties who was the exact opposite of Cash—a blonde, blue-eyed, surfer-type that I immediately regretted spending the night with.
It’s like even though my brain tried to deny it all these years, my heart has always been waiting for Cash. Hoping, even as I tried to tell myself it couldn’t happen. Wouldn’t happen. And now it has. Finally.
How could I not be eager to consummate our relationship?
But first, dinner.
I’ve been in my bedroom grading papers since Cash brought me home from work, and I’m more than ready to take a break from correcting pronoun usage and reminding students how to write a proper paragraph. One sentence is nota paragraph, no matterhowlong it is.
Fresh from my shower, I check myself out in the mirror, not wincing at my appearance for the first time sincethatnight. The scratches on my face are almost completely healed, just a few tiny pink lines that are probably only noticeable to me. My hair is nice and shiny—I used a hair mask while I was grading—and I’m already anticipating Cash running his fingers through it.
I haven’t missed how he always touches my hair. Before, I told myself it was a big brother-protective friend thing. But after that kiss yesterday… and the ones last night. And again this morning… Now I know his touch was anything but brotherly.
When I get downstairs, I head to the kitchen, already running through my idea for dinner. Another casserole, since Cash liked the pepperoni pizza one so much, but this time I’m thinking of a cheesy chicken and broccoli one.
His voice carries toward me, a low, unintelligible rumble coming from the direction I’m heading. I pause in the kitchen doorway, hesitating as I see Cash leaning on the island, talking on the phone and frowning. If it’s something work-related, I don’t want to interrupt him.
Cash glances over and sees me standing awkwardly in the doorway and waves me inside with a little smile. But it’s tight, his lips pressed together, the smile not making it to his eyes. He doesn’t look happy, his eyes dark and his brows drawn down with small creases etched between them.
I’m not sure what to do, so I hover halfway across the kitchen, my enthusiasm of a few minutes ago fading away. Is it bad news? What about? Brett? Kyle? My house? Could something elsebe wrong?
