Page 96 of After All This Time

I follow her into my house and stand next to her.

She’s taking in the interior of the house. The last time she was here was when we were teenagers.

When I come out of the bathroom, I hear a noise coming from my bedroom.

Dani is sitting on my bed, looking around the room.

I stare at her. “What the hell are you doing in here?”

“The last time I was in here was when we were fifteen. Everything’s pretty much the same.” Her eyes land on my bookcase.

Getting off my bed, she walks over to it. “Holy shit!” she shouts.

“What?” I walk over to my bookcase, standing behind her.

I get a whiff of cool mint and sweet peaches.

It’s fucking intoxicating.

Just like her.

And I bet you that’s what she tastes like.

I’d give anything to taste her right now.

She’s running her fingers along the spines of the books that are on the two shelves that are at eye level. She picks up Things We Never Got Over with one hand. “Noah Kaplan, how do you explain all this?”

Crap, she knows my dirty little secret now.

“Tell me one thing,” she says.

My right hand is covering my forehead. “Maybe I will. Maybe I won't. Depends on what you want to know.”

“What got you into romance?” her mouth parts open, chest heaving.

“Not a what, a who.”

“Okay, who got you into romance?” she asks in a sarcastic tone.

“The fact that you’re asking is surprising to me. Shall we play the guessing game? We both know you’re good at it. Look in the mirror.”

She puts the book back on the shelf.

My hands are on her shoulders, guiding her to the long mirror on the other side of the bedroom.

She huffs. “What’s the point of this?”

“Look in the mirror.”

She drops her head down. “Why?”

“Just look in the goddamn mirror, Dani. Are you ever not going to be a pain in my ass?” I demand, standing proud and assured.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

dani

His hands are still wrapped around my shoulders and both of his thumbs are making their way underneath the thick straps of my tank top.

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