Page 128 of Collided

There’s little distance between our faces. If either one of us moves even a little bit we’ll end up kissing.

The world stops moving, and nothing is in my sight except for her. She’s the only one I can see.

Her brown eyes bore deep into mine. Her hands are on my chest and mine around her waist.

“You don’t need to be a better friend. You make me feel safe and happy. It’s more than enough.”

“Your standards are pretty fucking low.”

A smile tugs on her delicate lips. “I’m fine with it.”

I’m not fucking fine with it.

After a moment she adds, “My standards for men are quite high.”

My arm tightens around her waist instinctively. “Men?” I croak out in confusion.

She nods. “Yeah. The fictional ones that I think of as a boyfriend or crush.”

Boyfriend.

Crush.

I’ve never hated those two words more in my life before. More so in one sentence.

Annoyance drips from my next words. “So, you have a checklist for your dream boy toy?”

“He won’t be my boy toy.”

“I see.”I don’t like this fucking conversation at all.

Hope gets off me and stumbles into the passenger seat. Turning back, she adds, “It’s seven-thirty. We should go.”

With a clenched jaw and rage bubbling in my head I get in the driver’s seat.

On the way, I ask the question because I can’t just fucking help it. “So, what do you want your boy toy to be like?”

She turns red. Red like a rose.

Here I thought only I could do that.

“Stop calling him that. He won’t be…that.”

My hands hold the steering wheel to the point my knuckles turn white. I press hard on the brakes and slowly drive—I don’t want to let go of her so quickly.

“Will you just answer the question?” I grit out in frustration.

“Actually, I don’t know what I really want.”

“You don’t have one thing in mind?” I probe the matter like an obsessive dickhead.

“That’s the thing, I don’t want one thing. There are quite a few.” Hope hides her face in her hands. “This is all because of the books. If I hadn’t read books I wouldn’t have standards in the first place.”

Right. Books. Fictional characters.Fictional fucking men.

“You must have a favorite.”

“The list is long, Heath.”

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