Page 79 of Close Knit

“That’s so Cameron of you.” I gently slug him in the shoulder. He laughs but makes no effort to put his lips on mine. There goes that theory. “Have you ever dated another athlete?”

“No,” he murmurs. “It’d be hard. Balancing a relationship and my career seems impossible. It’d take someone special for me to make time for them.”

“That makes sense.”

My heart skips like a scratched record. He always makes time for me.

I wish I had a neon sign over my head that said,Pucker this girl up, Hastings.If he doesn’t have time for a girlfriend, maybe we could just be a friends-with-benefits situation. That would definitely check off a Yes Year activity.

“What about you? What was your first kiss like?” he asks.

“Nothing that romantic,” I sigh, cringing. “My first kiss was at a freshman orientation party. I was so nervous I bumped noses with the guy. He laughed, but I was mortified. His friendscalled it the Clumsy Kiss for weeks. It was so embarrassing.” I remember wishing the ground would swallow me whole.

Cameron’s expression intensifies, his jaw tightening.

“That guy didn’t know what he had,” Cameron says. “If it had been me, I’d have considered myself the luckiest guy on earth.”

I blink. “Really?”

My heartstrings turn into a honeycomb stitch. “Anyone would be lucky to share a moment like that with you. And if anyone ever teases you again about how you kiss, they’ll have to answer to me.”

I sink into the couch, ready to give up on my plan. If he wanted to kiss me, he would’ve already.

“Thanks, Cameron.”

He leans in closer, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear and grazing the top of my cheek.Wait, maybe my shimmering highlighter is working!“I mean it, Daphne. You deserve someone who appreciates all of you, clumsy kisses and all.”

You.

I want you.

I want that to be you.

“Maybe I’ll get a second chance at a first kiss.”

“I hope you do.” The air thickens with tension, a charge neither of us can seem to defuse. He clears his throat and laughs awkwardly. “All right, my turn. Never have I ever stayed up all night talking to someone.”

My mouth drops open. “That’s a low blow; you know my knitathons go all night!”

“Rules are rules.” He shrugs, handing me a carrot, letting his fingers brush against my knuckles. I chew and think of my next question.

“Never have I ever seen the northern lights.”

Neither of us chomps on a movie snack. “Want to add that to your Yes Year adventures?”

“I wish! Maybe after my retreat, we could take a trip. You know, if you can pencil me in.”

He inches closer, like a slow-motion wade through a pool. “I don’t see why not.”

It’d take someone special for me to make time for them.His voice rings in my ears. I’m special.

“Yeah,” I say breathlessly, draping my legs over his. Our faces are so close, I’d settle for an Eskimo kiss at this point.

His fingers rub along my thighs, his eyes scanning my body until a spark lights up behind them.

“Never have I ever been…tied up,” he says, voice low and teasing.

“Excuse me?” I cough. My mouth goes dry.

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