Page 75 of More To Us

"She likes him. She's just not overly affectionate."

"Which is why I don't understand why you said that stuff about them. Was it just so I wouldn't go in your apartment?"

"No. You were just in my apartment, so obviously I wanted you there. That stuff I said about Amber was just an inside joke we have. Sorry, I should've explained that." I take the last sip of my drink. "You ready to go?"

He's quiet on the ride back to my apartment, and when he gets there, he walks me to the door and then goes home. I hope he's not mad at me. He didn't seem mad but he also didn't accept my invite to come upstairs. Maybe he was just tired. Doing construction all day has gotta be tiring.

In the morning, Austin shows up at nine with his toolbox. I greet him at the door, dressed for a workout in my sports bra, tank top, and shorts. I'm not planning on a leisurely bike ride today. If I'm skipping the gym, I'm going to push myself on the bike.

"Hey." Austin has a big smile on his face as I step aside to let him in. He gives me a kiss, then hands me a big plastic cup with a straw. "Chocolate-banana with twenty-five grams of protein."

"Thanks." I taste it. "It's good." I set it on the kitchen counter.

"I had mine before I left." He holds up his toolbox. "Can I get started on the TV or will I wake up Amber?"

"She didn't come home last night. She stayed at Matt's place." Which completely shocked me, but I think she only did it to give me time alone with Austin. But then he ended up not even coming back here last night.

"Does she stay there much?"

"Not really." Actually, it's never happened. It makes me wonder if the two of them finally did it. I got a text from her this morning but she didn't give me any clues that something happened. "They'll probably be over here soon."

"Then I'll get to work on the TV."

"Wait." I take his toolbox from him and set it down, then loop my arms around his neck and kiss him.

He kisses me back, then says, "I'm not going to get the TV up if we start this."

"Then we'll stop." I back away. "Go ahead and work on the TV."

"Later." He lifts me up and sets me on the kitchen counter and kisses me again, and I feel that familiar tingle between my thighs that happens whenever we kiss, or when he touches me, or even when he just gets close to me. Now he's doing all three of those things, making me rethink my decision to hold off on having sex with him.

Our tongues tangle in a hot, deep kiss as his hand slides up my thigh under my shorts. I scoot forward, making it easier for him. Ever since he did that to me last night, I've been wanting him to do it again. But just as he's about to, the door opens.

Austin quickly removes his hand and helps me off the counter.

Amber walks in. "Oh. Hi. I didn't know you'd be here this early," she says to Austin.

"I wanted to get the TV up before Amber and I head out on our ride."

"What ride?" she asks, setting her purse down.

"We're going on a bike ride." Austin grins at me. "Kira thinks she's gonna kick my ass, but I can go pretty damn fast on a bike, so we'll see if she can keep up."

"Kira, can I talk to you?" I hear the tone in Amber's voice and grit my teeth. I am not going to be lectured about going on a bike ride.

"Not now," I tell her. "I have to help Austin with the TV."

"I don't need help," he says. "Go ahead."

I sigh and follow her to her room. When we get there, I shut the door, then spin around to face her. "Don't you dare lecture me about this. I swear to God I'll—"

"You'll what?" She stands with her hands on her hips, like she's angry, even though I'm the only one who deserves to be angry here.

"Never mind. We're not fighting about this. It's a bike ride. I sit down and pedal. Big deal. I'll be using my bike on campus, so what's the difference?"

"The difference is that this isn't just a casual bike ride. You'll push yourself to keep up with him or you'll try to race him. I know you, Kira, and I know how competitive you are."

"We're not racing. We're just going on a bike ride. And yeah, maybe it'll turn into a workout, but I'm allowed to freaking exercise."

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