Page 13 of In Too Deep

My eyes fall to the table as my heart flutters. “You had your moments too, you know?”

“Oh yeah?” I watch through hooded eyes as he puts his fork down and pushes his plate forward, propping his elbows on the table and head on his hands. “Do tell.”

My lips twitch as I sit up straighter. “For one, every time I hear R. Kelly’s I Believe I Can Fly, I think of you singing it at the top of your lungs as you carved FSU into your forearm.”

He laughs, extending his arm across the table to reveal the faded scar. “Yeah. I didn’t make the best decisions when I was a teenager.”

I snort. “Who does?”

“True,” he agrees, rubbing at his jawline. “But there are a couple things I wish I could go back and do differently. One in particular.”

My heart leaps. There’s no mistaking the pointed look he gives me, or the meaning behind his words, but I’m not about to open that can of worms. The way things ended between us was messy, and I’ve wished I could change it a million times myself, but we can’t. It’s done, and we need to leave the past behind us.

“Teenagers probably shouldn’t be allowed to make their own decisions.” I let out a nervous laugh, my stare moving to my glass as I play with my straw. “Everything seems so world-ending during that time.”

The waitress steps up to our table, asking if we need anything else before placing the check down, quickly disappearing before I can protest the single bill. Lawrence and I reach for it at the same time, and his hand lands on mine, causing me to pull back.

He laughs. “I’ve got this, KitKat.”

“Oh, no…” Shaking my head, I reach for my purse. “That’s not necessary. I’m sure I have some cash in here. How much do I owe?”

“Nope. It’s on me. Don’t even bother trying to argue with me.”

He arches an eyebrow, and I sigh, fidgeting with the opening of my shirt. “Well…thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” he says, his mouth curling into a wicked smile. “I have a bit of an ulterior motive.”

Anxious energy bounces around in my belly like a tiny lead ball. “Oh? What’s that?”

“I know I promised I’d let you get home after we ate, but I’d really like to show you something. Can I talk you into staying out a little longer?” He clasps his hands together in front of his chest as if begging me, giving me the same doe-eyed look as before, and I crumble. Again.

“Why am I incapable of saying no to you?”

Laughing, he scoots out of the booth and stands, offering me his hand. “Come on. You can ride with me this time. We’re just going right up the road. We won’t be long.”

My brain screams no, running through all the reasons why going anywhere with Lawrence is a bad idea. But my heart doesn’t give a damn.

“Promise you’ll drive the speed limit and we’ll only be gone a minute.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I moan and take his hand, allowing him to help me out of the booth. “I better not regret this.”

9

The seatbelt feels suffocating as my hands grip it, the leather beneath me groaning in protest as I continuously shift in the passenger seat. At least the music is concealing my rapid breathing and filling the uncomfortable silence. Though, the old school R&B tracks only further blur the line between past and present.

“Maybe I should’ve asked where we’re going before I agreed to come,” I jest.

Lawrence’s eyes slide briefly from the road to me, a playful smile on his face. “Why? Don’t you trust me?”

The truth is, I do. But being out alone with him like this isn’t right. I’ve ignored the small chivalry gestures and shrugged off him paying for my meal, but this feels more and more like a date. One I have no business being on.

This is a dangerous little game we’re playing.

“I’m not sure I should.”

“That wasn’t a no,” he quips. Lawrence’s Charger pulls into an empty lot, and he parks in front of what appears to be a vacant brick building. He turns his attention to me, his eyes bright with excitement. “Besides, we’re here.”

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