Page 39 of The Thought of You

But her grin catches me off guard. She doesn’t appear haunted or disappointed like she did in the closet last night.

When I turn, I realize why she’s so damn chummy.

Within minutes of the violin playing a slow melody, four couples have already strolled to the center of the courtyard for a slow dance.

“Motherfu—” The rest of the unsavory word catches in my throat as Bond makes his way over.

And my blood boils. I’m pissed that Addie’s right. Her choice in music is better suited for this party, and I fucking hate that she’s always so right.

But mostly, I hate the hopeful twinkle in Bond’s eye as he reaches us.

“Care for a walk?” He holds his bent arm out for her like we’re in a scene of Pride and Prejudice.

There’s no mistaking how much she loves it, too. Beaming up at him, she loops her arm through his and says, “A walk sounds lovely.”

“Give me a break,” I mumble, my throat constricting.

“What was that?” Addie cuts her eyes at me.

“Have a nice walk,” I forcefully chirp. “Such a nice evening for a wholesome walk. A walk-some, if you will. It’s refreshing, no?”

“What have I told you about making up words?” Addie grinds out.

“Do it more?” I shoot back with loads of sarcasm.

Her face twists as Bond leads her away, and before I think better of it, my feet carry after them like they’re floating on my frustration alone.

In the hall, the tic in my jaw bounces with a vengeance as Bond grazes Addie’s upper arm. He’s smiling and leering like a teenage boy who’s never been in the presence of a hot woman before.

And Addie is fucking hot. I’ve realized it doesn’t matter if she’s rocking a ridiculous outfit for spirit week or if she’s dolled up like she is now—she’s a damn treasure. There’s no other way to describe her.

When Bond finally slips away, I seize the opportunity by the balls and lunge into the spot next to her. “When’s the wedding?” I tilt my head toward Bond. “Please tell me I’m invited. I’m great at the Electric Slide.”

“That would never happen,” she says, emphasizing the word never like her tongue is too heavy.

“Fine. No Electric Slide. I’m good at the Macarena too.”

Addie folds her arms over her chest, and her cleavage gently hugs the necklace dangling from her neck. It’s rather innocent, but my dick practically punches the zipper on my pants. “Both are great, but I mean, you would never be invited to my wedding, not that it’s happening any time soon.” She glances toward Bond, who chats with another of our classmates, and she drops her arms back to both sides, much to my relief. “I’m not going out with Bond.”

My heart dives into my stomach with the excitement of a kid on the first day of summer. “Oh?” I cock a brow and fight the urge to pump my fist into the air. “Let me guess—you finally admitted I was right about something. That he is, in fact, too boring. I’d love to hear you say it, though. This admission would go straight into a special compartment I keep for such moments.”

“You don’t need a whole compartment. A small change pouch would suffice since you’re never right. You’re not right about Bond, either.” She slides her fingers through the ends of her hair, unraveling the silky curls.

Fantasies of loosening the rest of her curls and unzipping her dress until it drops into a pool around her feet flit in and out of my irritatingly dirty mind.

“You look…” Addie’s bright eyes scan my face, then skim over the open collar and drop to my waist, where the tail of one side of my shirt sticks out over my pants. “Sloppy.”

Shit. My round with Nate got a little out of hand, and I was too distracted by Addie to check on my appearance.

“Is that what the kids are calling sexy these days?” I smirk, tucking my shirt back into my pants as my eyes lock onto hers. I can’t tear them away.

“You tell me. You’re the one who’d know,” she shoots back.

“Oh, because I’m a kid, right?” I deadpan. “Trust me, baby, I’m all man. Feel free to check out my huge?—”

“Don’t finish that sentence.”

“My huge biceps. Get your mind out of the gutter, Lockhart.”

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