Page 87 of Indigo Sky

A watery laugh-slash-sob escaped her lips, followed by a croaked, “Thanks.”

She wiped her eyes, and I rubbed her back in small, slow circles until her tears stopped and her shallow breaths relaxed.

“So,” I said once she laid the used napkins in her lap and rested her head against the back of the car seat, “what do youwantto do?”

Her chest rose with a deep breath as she looked at me, longing desperation in her eyes. “I want you to take me back to your house, and I want to fall asleep in your bed,” she whispered as if it were a secret.

My heart was buzzing as a sudden rush of blood was sent south. “Okay. And you don’t think—"

“I already told my dad’s nurse I wasn’t coming home tonight,” she admitted, and I suppressed the need to moan. “I just … I feel so guilty. I feel selfish and—"

“You’re human,” I reminded her quietly. “And you’re allowed to want the things you want.”

“But will your parents mind? I wasn’t thinking about that. I just couldn’t get my mind off of … earlier, and I made plans without even talking to you, and—"

I put a stop to her worrying with a pinch of her chin between my thumb and forefinger as I turned her head to face me.

“I’m driving home now,” I said, gentle but assertive. “And I’m taking you with me.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

On a normal night, I would get home and tiptoe through the house, careful to avoid every loose floorboard and door hinge in desperate need of oiling. On a normal night, I would be aware and alert, no matter how exhausted I was, and I was always respectful of the fact that my parents were asleep down the hall.

But tonight wasn’t a normal night.

I drove down the dark streets with an acute awareness of my heart being one thunderous beat closer to exploding with every crash against my rib cage. Kate sat beside me in contented silence, sending coy, knowing smiles in my direction every so often. I could see her cheeks were flushed, even in the dark of the car, her eyes alight with anticipation and excitement and hunger.

I had spent years imagining what it would be like to have her in my bed. I had reconfigured the scenario a thousand times, like I was rehearsing the lines for a movie I was never going to be in. But the thing about fantasies was that you never truly believed they’d become your reality, and now, as I approached my parents’ house, I found there was a lot of pressure in knowing I was about to have sex with my dream girl.

Don’t fuck this up, my brain warned on an endless loop.I know it’s been a while, but if you’re about to fuck her, you’d better make it good. Don’t mess this up.

“You’re really quiet,” Kate said.

“Just concentrating,” I replied, keeping my eye on the road.

The last thing I wanted was to get into a car accident and ruin my chances of falling asleep with her in my arms.

How romantic, I heard Nate say in my head, and I almost laughed.

I had always been the more romantic of the two of us—that probably goes without saying—but the romanticism going on in my mind was more than even I was used to.

“Are you nervous?”

A short bark of a laugh rumbled from my chest. “I mean, if I’m being honest,yeah, I’m nervous.” God, it was a relief to say it out loud, and the incredulity in my tone made her laugh.

“Oh, please don’t tell me you were lying when you said you weren’t still a virgin.” She was teasing, and the streetlights leading to my childhood home glimmered off of her playful eyes. Then, she reconsidered and tapped her chin as she continued, “Although … to be your firsteverything…”

The thought made me wish I had waited an eternity until I could call her mine before giving myself to a woman who had meant something at the time, but not forever. I didn’t have a time machine though, and I couldn’t take back the things I’d said before when I told her about my past.

“Nope, definitely not a virgin,” I confirmed yet again with a smirk.

“Well, think about every woman you’ve ever been with now because I’m going to make you forget they ever existed.”

The comment made me turn abruptly toward her, startled and amused, and, holyfuck, I was turned on, and she laughed, her cheeks darkening in the shadows.

“That’s supposed to be my line,” I joked.

Her eye roll was subtle as she said, “Oh, Revan …”

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