Page 102 of Not That Into You

He raises his brows. “No?”

“No. I just can’t promise you anything right now. These next few weeks are going to be hard, and it’s all I can think about.”

And I don’t want him to commit to something now he may regret later. I don’t want to make promises we may not be able to keep. Especially when I’m not even sure how I feel.

“I understand.” He lifts my hand and kisses my palm. “We’ll revisit this conversation when you get back.”

I bite my bottom lip. “It’s just that I have to focus on my family right now. My mom needs me.”

“Monica.” He smiles. “I get it. You need to go home to Dayton. You’re about to be very busy.”

I nod. “I am.”

Giving me a calculated look, he cocks his head. “But in the meantime...”

My brow furrows. “Yes?”

He brushes his thumb back and forth across my hand. “You’re not leaving tomorrow, right?”

I swallow. “Right.”

Dragging his thumb to my wrist, he traces light circles. “You’re here now.”

My skin zings as I forget to breathe. Who knew the wrist was an erogenous zone?

“We can spend time together before you leave.”

My mind blanks as I try to think of reasons why we shouldn’t spend time together in the coming days. Something about creating confusion or expectations? I don’t know. It’s hard to think when his touch is making promises my body is eager to receive.

I lick my lips. “Sure.”

He grins. “Good.”

A wisp of self-preservation rises to surface. “If we keep things casual.”

He narrows his eyes. “Casual?”

“No promises.”

He stares at me intently before nodding slowly. “Fine. We keep it casual. For now.” Leaning forward, he places a hand on my knee before slowly trailing his palm up my thigh. “Although, I’m not feeling particularly casual at the moment.”

“Oh.” I mean, neither am I—there’s an inferno building inside me—but I’m finding it hard to focus on anything beyond where he’s touching me.

His grin turns wicked, setting off an internal alarm. He seems far too smug. A small voice inside my head warns I’m letting him get the upper hand, and that’s probably not wise. If we’re going to keep things casual, if I’m going to have any control over this situation, I can’t let him call all the shots.

With renewed focus, I straddle his lap, resting my hands on his shoulders. When I grind my hips against his lap, he groans, and my mouth stretches into a smile.

I drop my lips to his ear. “I’m not feeling particularly casual either.”

Chapter 28

Monica

“Earth to Monica.” Claire waves a hand in front of my face.

I look up. “What?”

She laughs. “You’ve been staring at your drink as if it holds the key to the universe.”

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