Page 139 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

She shakes her head, linking her arm around my neck and pulling me into her.

“Maybe it’ll be me who ends up hurt. Maybe I’ll be the one who doesn’t want to let you go. We can’t live our life waiting for all the what-ifs. All we have is the here and now.”

Gripping her chin between my fingers, I kiss her hard once more and pull away, enough for her to hear me when I say, “There’s nowhere else I want to be.”

Eight

AVA

For the rest of the week, we straddled the line of temptation. When the lights go off and we slip into bed, it’s like nothing in this world exists, and I get lost in Colter Vaughn.

When I first learned my apartment wouldn’t be available for over a week, I thought I’d be counting down the days until it was ready.

Now I’m dreading waking up tomorrow. Tonight is the last night staying with Colter, and I don’t know how to feel about it.

I got a call from the leasing office earlier this morning confirming our apartment would be ready to start moving in tomorrow. It’s right in the nick of time, leaving us with only two days before classes start. Hallyn will arrive in Braysen hours before, so she’ll be there when Colter and his coworker move everything in.

Not long after I got the call, I heard from Anita that Expressions Dance Academy was officially offering me the job.

I should be excited. I am excited. Everything I’ve been waiting for is finally happening, and the pieces are falling into place. Yet I can’t help but think about how much I’ll miss this time with Colter, and the glow of excitement slowly dims.

Why does it feel like this bubble I’ve been living in with Colter is about to pop, bringing us crashing back to reality?

The house is quiet. Colter and his roommates are at football practice, but he should be home anytime now.

Home. C’mon, Ava, get it out of your head. This isn’t your home. Hell, he isn’t even your boyfriend.

The front door opening and the screen door slamming shut echo down the hallway, and I hear his large footfalls hit the stairs.

“Ava?” Colter hollers.

“I’m in your room,” I shout as his footsteps draw closer.

He stops when he reaches the door, exhaling a heavy breath, and his eyes soften when he finds me sitting on his bed, my legs stretched out in front of me with my back against the wall.

The look in his eyes makes me wonder if his mind has been running over the same things before my attention stops on the sweat dripping down his brow.

“Did you race home after practice?” I ask since he doesn’t even look like he showered.

Colter is a creature of habit, and it’s something I’ve come to appreciate about him.

“I figured I could shower at home. It’s our last night here together. I hurried back ’cause I was kind of hopin’ you’d want to hang out.”

A slow smile stretches across my face, and I nod.

“I think that sounds perfect.”

He runs his hand over his beard, his brow lifting in question. “Yeah?”

I nod. “Yeah. Guess what… I got the call. Guess who got the job?”

“You did?” He drops his bag near his closet and turns toward me, his eyes brightening. “That’s incredible. I’m happy for you. I mean, I’ve seen you dance. I had no doubt you’d be perfect for the job. How could they not hire you?”

He pulls his shirt over his head and uses a dry spot to wipe his face.

“Give me a few to shower, and we’ll celebrate, okay?”

I motion with something that must look like agreeance. Meanwhile, I’m doing everything I can to avoid staring at his chest. All the smooth ridges of muscle I’d like to brush my lips and run my tongue over.

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