Page 75 of Secret Love

“Hey,” I say back.

“You look beautiful.”

“So do you.”

“I miss you.”

“It has felt like a long day and a half.” My voice is half tease, half earnest.

He smiles. “The longest.” He leans in close and whispers, “I don't want to wait until summer.”

“I don't either.”

“It's been torture not talking to you for the past…longestday and a half.”

“I know. I’ve hated it.” I stare at the scruff he’s grown over the weekend, thinking there’s no way this man could ever look bad. “But our situation hasn't changed.”

He groans. “I know. The girls planned an elaborate setup for me and Bree last night. Steak dinner on the deck, candles, flowers, the whole works. We had a talk. I think they get the message that their mom and I are not gonna be together. But things might take a little longer for Cassidy to be on board with me dating you. And it's not because she's not crazy about you. I think it’s because sheis.”

“It’s okay. I get it. I would be worried about the whole thing if I were her. Especially at that age, it would have been a lot to take in. I don't blame her for feeling weird about it.”

Someone walks past us and he takes a step back until they move into the restroom and then he steps closer again.

“It's hard to be this close to you and not touch you,” he says.

“Believe me, I'm struggling with not climbing your body like a tree right now.”

He groans. “You can't say things like that to me and not expect me to kiss you senseless.”

“I don't feel your lips on mine.” I lift my shoulder, smirking.

“Oh, you’re trouble, tiny dancer. How about this? We don't have any public tree climbing or declarations. But what happens at my house or your house…or when we're alone in a dark alcove at The Fairy Hut stays between us.”

“I may or may not have told my new girlfriends about my crush.”

“Is that what we're calling it? Because my guys know and have from the beginning. The very first day I met you, I told them about you.”

“You're kidding,” I say, intrigued and a little dizzy from all the swooning going on inside. “But okay, I can agree to thoseterms. We keep this a secret except between our close friends for now. Are you really okay with that?”

“I don't like Cassidy not being on board with this,” he says. “But I feel like she just needs time and we can give her that while we see where all this can go between us.”

I nod, feeling winded just being near him. “Okay, I can do that. No pressure, just the two of us privately…seeing what happens.”

“Can I see what happens at your place tonight after this?” His lips lift and I laugh, looking away from him because if I don’t, I won’t be able to resist him.

“I think we need to sleep through the night. You at your place and me at mine,” I add, when he starts to insist wewillsleep. “I already don’t know if I can look Cassidy in the eye tomorrow. If we spent the night together tonight, I…” I shake my head and make a face.

He lifts his hand to my cheek and glides it over my skin softly. “Fair enough,” he says. “I’ll be thinking about you all night long though. You invaded my dreams last night and woke me up multiple times. This body is suffering from the loss.”

I laugh, thrilled by the things he’s saying. Knowing I have this effect on him makes all the suffering I’ve dealt with since yesterday morning worth it.

“You’ll survive,” I tell him.

He shakes his head. “I’m not sure I will, but this tonight has been almost exactly what I needed.”

We grin at each other like two whipped puppies and I take a step back.

“Oh…how about I meet with Cassidy at school this week, just to make it a little easier on all of us?”

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