Page 58 of Sins and Secrets

Adam pinches the bridge of his nose. “Come sit with us. You don’t need to hang out with human garbage.” The men square their shoulders and Adam adds, “No offense.”

“It’s hard not to be offended by that,” Lukas grumbles.

“Come on, Waverly. Keith isn’t finished talking to you.” Adam motions over to the creepy guy.

“No, thank you.”

“He’s really well connected and goes to Stanford with me.”

I shrug. “You can go to an Ivy League school and still be a shitty person. Or you can be human garbage and be kind, considerate, and tell incredible stories.” The bikers cheer. I wiggle my fingers. “Good night.” As another thought hits me, I grab his arm before he turns away. “And if Keith ever tries to talk to me again, I’ll have my family kill you in your sleep.” I wink. “Have a nice night.”

Adam swallows and walks across the room. My biker friends give me fist bumps and high fives across our beer soaked table before diving back into more stories that keep me entertained for the evening. I’m so engrossed in their tales, I never ever notice when Adam and his polo friends leave the bar.

Around one in the morning, Lukas laces his fingers with mine. “Let’s go for a walk, love.”

The boardwalk has thinned out, and aside from some loud wooing and yelling, most people are lost in their own little lives.

“I didn’t think you were coming this summer,” I say, squeezing his hand.

Lukas leads me toward the shore. “Why would you think that?”

“Because you hate flying.” My feet sink into the sand as the salty air blows my hair back and the crashing waves drown out all other sounds.

He steps in front of me, pushing the stray strands of hair out of my face. His hand rests on my cheek. “I like you more than I hate flying.”

He presses his lips to mine and I melt in his embrace. I’ve been waiting, hoping for this confession for years. He calls and texts a few times a week. We’ve always stayed close, but tonight everything is different.

I have three drafts of an email, but I keep chickening out. What if he thinks it’s stupid? What if this is a fun summer fling that morphed into habit instead of something real? When his lips part from mine, the words fall out. “There’s a master’s research program at the University of Washington. I need to take a few more classes, but I can apply in December.”

“Is this something you want, love?”

“It’s an amazing opportunity.”

He’s silent for a moment, and I can’t read his expression. His brows are furrowed, but they’re always like that. His chest rises and falls. “If you were in Seattle, I wouldn't have a reason to come to the East Coast anymore.”

My heart swells, my whole body is on fire. This time, I kiss him, pressing my body against his. The wind blows my skirt to the side, but his hand on my hips keeps the dress from doing anything indecent.

He presses his head to mine. “It’ll save me a couple grand a year, too.”

I tilt my head like a dog trying to understand why she’s not getting any food. “Huh?”

“I’ve been paying for my own flight out here since I was seventeen.”

I do the math. “But that’s the summer after we started…”

His lips curl up. “What a strange coincidence.”

This is real. It’s been real the whole time. The words my brain screams every time I read any of his text messages or hear his voice on the phone stop short of my lips.

“Why aren’t you staying at the house?” I like curling up in bed with him, finding ways to sneak off, just the two of us.

His lips curl from a smirk into a full wolf grin. “I’ve spent the last 350 days thinking about all the things I would do to you when I saw you. And damn if it’s not taking all my restraint not to fuck you on this beach.”

I sneer. “Oh, that sounds terrible, I don’t want sand down there.”

He laughs. “I’m well aware, love. But tonight I’m gonna hear you scream my name at the top of your lungs when I make you come, and you can’t if we’re at the house.”

My body tingles with anticipation, and I smile. “I like that plan.”

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