Page 5 of Lawson

“A month.”

“Shit, and he's still bothering you?”

That teasing smile is back. “Are you saying I'm not worth chasing?”

“Of course not,” I say. “But if you ended things, that should be it. Someone who doesn't respect those boundaries is an asshole.”

“You're not wrong,” she says. “And I was kidding. I don't want to be chased. I keep telling him that.”

“But he still wants to get back together?”

She sighs again. “I'm not sure if it'smehe really wants, or if it's what I can offer him. Either way, he's gotten more intense lately, like he thinks he still has a chance even though I've said no a dozen times. I keep trying to be nice since we were together for four years in college, but the more he pushes...” Her voice trails off, and I get a glimpse of the stress that this is causing her in the way her eyes crinkle.

“Maybe now that he thinks I have a new boyfriend, he'll back off,” she finally says, grinning up at me. “The fact that he's still watching us isn’t really giving me too much hope. It’s definitely not your problem, though, and I'm sure this kind of conversation wasn't what you were looking for when you came here.”

“You have no idea what I came here looking for,” I fire back.

“You want to tell me?”

“Originally, I came here because I had to. But now? Feels like I came here to meet you.”

Blakely laughs again, shaking her head. “You really do have all the lines don't you, hero?”

“You have no idea. But I am having a thought.”

“I can't wait to hear it,” she says before I can continue. And I swear I'm ready to drop down on my knees for this girl. I can't remember a time I've had so much fun just throwing banter back and forth, but goddamn, she's really good at it.

“If we really want to sell this, to make Brian up there believe that you're really off the market, I feel like there's a surefire way to do that.”

She has to read the intent in my eyes, because that flush is back just like when I brought up Bridgerton and orgasms earlier. I'm dying to brush my thumb over her cheek, just to see if her skin is as soft as it looks, but I keep my hands where they are.

“And what is that surefire way?” Her voice hitches just slightly, which means she knows exactly what I'm about to say.

“A kiss.”

“A kiss?”

“Yes,” I say, my heart pounding against my chest at the prospect of getting my mouth on hers. “If I kiss you right now, trust me, he'll know that you're off the market.”

She wets her lips, almost like she doesn't realize she's doing it, then tilts her head. “I'm sorry, I should have mentioned that I'm not looking for an actual relationship. Almost four years with him was a long time, I'm not ready for anything serious. As much as I appreciate you offering to help.”

I dip my head down just to bring myself a little closer. Damn, she smells like honeysuckle and citrus, and I immediately want that scent drenching my sheets tonight.

“Do I look like someone who wants something serious? Even douchebag-Brian pegged me for a fuckboy.”

The girl laughs again, and warmth shoots beneath my skin at the sound of it. A sound I’m more than prideful about making happen.

“No, I guess you don't. Especially with those lines you keep dishing out.”

“So,” I say. “The offer stands.”

She worries that plump bottom lip between her teeth again, and it takes everything in me not to span the small distance between our mouths and suck it between my lips.

“No strings? No numbers?”

“If that's what makes you comfortable,” I say, knowing for sure I'll regret not getting this girl's number, but if that's what she needs to help her get rid of her ex, I'm all for it. Especially because he's giving me the fucking creeps and I'm not that easily creeped out.

How the hell had he landed a girl like her anyway? I've only known her a few minutes, and I can tell she's a fucking dream. A dream for somebody else who has the time and energy to worship a girl like her, but a dream, nonetheless.

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