Page 47 of Play It Sinful

Before I get comfortable, I take off my shoes. Ashley isn’t paying attention to me, so I when I finally sit down, I pick up the sketchbook she left on the mattress and start flipping the pages. Her art is incredible, but I refrain from making a comment before I finish looking at everything. I don’t want her to snatch the sketchbook away too soon.

“Hey, put that away!”

“Why? Did you draw something embarrassing?”

Her eyes go round. “No. I just don’t want you looking at it.”

She’s totally hiding something, so naturally, instead of putting the sketchbook away, I keep flipping the pages. “Did you draw smut? I bet you did.”

“I didn’t draw smut, you perv.” She gets up, but I anticipate her intentions and jump out of bed as well, moving away from her.

“Come on, Ash. Why don’t you want me to see your art? It’s really good.”

“Ugh. Why are you being a pest right now? I guess nice Sean has left the building.”

Her words get to me, and I freeze. Shit. Am I unable to not act like an asshole when I’m with her?

“I’m sorry. Here.” I hand her the sketchbook, but a torn piece of paper falls to the floor. I drop into a crouch to pick it up, and when I flip the page over, I see what Ashley was trying to hide from me. My heart skips a beat. It’s a sketch of a couple who looks like Ashley and me in a romantic pose.

“Is this…us?” When she doesn’t reply, I look up.

Her face is beet red. I have my answer. Ashleyhasbeen thinking about me enough to draw us together. The knowledge makes me stupid happy.

She snatches the paper from me and crumples it into a ball. “Why are you so nosy?”

I stand straight. “Why did you do that? It was a good drawing.”

“I hate it.” She turns her back to me and throws the paper ball toward the trash but misses.

I walk around her and retrieve the sketch from the floor. “Well, I love it. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it.”

Her eyes bug out. “You can’t have it.”

“No backsies. You threw it away.” I smooth the page again. It’s wrinkled beyond repair, but I’m keeping it.

“Why do you want it so badly? It’s a terrible sketch.”

I fold the paper and stick it in my pocket. “You drew it, that’s why.”

She stares at me in silence. Her face is still flushed though. I walk over and touch her cheek. “If you’re embarrassed because I found your drawing, don’t be. I like that you were thinking about me.”

“Of course you do.”

I shake my head. “Not because I’m conceited. You haven’t left my mind in weeks, gorgeous, and I’m relieved that I’ve been on yours too.”

She arches a brow. “Relieved?”

I lean over and kiss the corner of her mouth. “Yes, relieved. It’d suck to be obsessed with a girl who didn’t like me.”

“You’re obsessed with me?” Her voice rises in pitch.

I capture her face between my hands. “Yes, Ash. Very much so.”

Before she can reply, I kiss her because, one, I want to and, two, it keeps me from overthinking the reasons I was so… honest.

CHAPTER 20

ASHLEY

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