Page 108 of From Now On

She laughs. Loudly enough that if anyone was in earshot, they would have looked this way.

“That’s mean.” She’s smiling as she says it.

I shrug. “I don’t make the rules.”

“You had four strikes. Does that mean you’re bad in bed?”

“Every rule has its exceptions.”

Eve tilts her head, shooting me a teasing smile. “Or you just want to think so.”

“Wanna find out?”

I hold my breath, waiting for her reply.

“Yes.”

I changed my mind.

That’smy new favorite word.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

EVE

There’s a knock on the door while I’m toweling off.

Crap. He’s early again. Or—I glance at the alarm clock on my bedside table—exactly on time.

I keep digging through the drawer in a frantic quest for the black lace thong that’s the sexiest underwear I own. I finally locate them with a triumphant “Aha!” that dims to a vehement “Ow!” when my victory dance ends with a stubbed toe.

Another knock, and I’m naked except for a scrap of lace. Which is actuallymorethan I need to be wearing for what’s about to happen, but I’m not brave enough to answer the door in my towel—or underwear. With my luck, Mr. Goodman would be out in his yard with his dog.

I grab the sweats and oversize T-shirt I wore to bed last night off my comforter and yank them on. Not the most enticing outfit, but I don’t have time to pick out anything else. Shavingeverywheretook too long.

I toss a heap of laundry into the closet, slam the door closed, and then hustle down the hallway.

I’m breathing heavily when I yank the front door open, then stop breathing entirely, the full weight of this moment slamming into me like an avalanche.

I’m about to have sex withHunter Morgan. If my freshman year–self could see me now.

“Hey.” Hunter’s smile is almost…shy, as he shoves his hands into his pockets. He’s changed since leaving the library, into sweats and a hoodie withHolt Hockeywritten on the front. His hair glints in the porch light, damp even though it’s not raining for once.

“Hey,” I breathe.

We stare at each other, and I wonder how many times he’s done this before. I know very little about Hunter’s dating-slash-hookup history in college, which seems extremely unfair since he knows all of mine.I’ma nervous mess, but I was expecting him to take the lead here. To act like showing up at a girl’s house for sex is a normal Friday for him.

Hunter raises a hand to rub the back of his neck, tugging his hoodie up a few inches. My mouth goes dry as I focus on that strip of exposed skin. On the glimpse of his obliques and the line of golden hair that disappears into the waistband of his sweats. My gaze moves lower, to the bulge below the waistband, the glimpses of his penis I got in the shower and the hot tub flashing in my mind like a neon sign.

Heat pools, low in my stomach, settling right between my thighs. My breasts feel heavy and achy, reminding me I ran out of time to put a bra on. My breasts are big enough to make that obvious, even if my nipples weren’t hardened to horny peaks.

“Can I come in?” Hunter asks.

Warmth floods my cheeks when I realize I’ve just been standing and staring at him. “Oh, yeah. Come in.” I take a step back, holding the door open as wide as the hinges will allow.

He chuckles. A rough sound that sends another bolt of heat surging through me.

I inhale deeply as he passes. He smells very masculine, mixed with a whiff of laundry detergent, and I think that plus his wet hair means his stop at home involved showering and putting on clean clothes.

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