Page 63 of Loud Unspoken Memories

“Necessity.” I say no more, and he eventually gets it.

“I did a lot of things that drove my mom crazy. I cracked my knuckles constantly. And I would suck on my shirts in school. I didn’t even know I was doing it. I ruined all my collars.”

Instantly, Charlie is in my thoughts. “I actually know someone who sucks on his shirts. And itisannoying.”

“Charlie?”

I nod.

“I’m sure my mom could give you tips on how to stop it.”

For a second, my heart flutters. Is that some sort of invitation?

“I, uh,” —he stutters nervously— “also used to eat butter. Sticks of it. Plain butter.”

Okay, so not an invitation.“I ate pizza crust.”

“What’s so weird about that?” he asks.

“Because I only ate the crust, not the rest of the pizza.”

“Jesus, you reallyarea freak.”

“Oh, you have no idea.”

“I havesomeidea. I mean you do talk in your sleep.”

A blush ambushes my chest as I wonder what I could have said. “Really?”

His eyes dance with a smile. “Okay, that was a lie.” He scoots closer. “More.”

I try not to read too much into the fact that he’s enjoying this game. He likes learning about me as much as I do him. That has to mean something.

“None of the food on my plate could touch or I wouldn’t eat it.”

His head bobs sideways. “You are aware it touches as soon as it’s in your stomach, right?”

“You’re asking this as if a girl who ate her hair was normal.”

“Right.” He chuckles. “I would put ketchup on everything. Even cereal. And when my mother made tacos, I’d deconstruct them, eating the shells first and then the contents.”

I cringe. “Ketchup on cereal. You’ve totally crossed the line. I’m not sure we can be friends.” I pretend I’m going to get out of bed.

He pulls me back, pushes me into the mattress, and climbs on top of me. He takes a chunk of my hair and works it between his fingers. “I’m glad you don’t eat your hair anymore. It would be a shame. You have such nice hair.”

I reach up and run my fingers through his. “Have you always had long hair?”

His eyes go dark. “Not always.”

Damn. I inadvertently brought up something touchy. He moves to get off me, but I grip his shoulders. “Kiss me. Kiss me right now. Kiss me everywhere, Dallas.”

My demand surprises me. I’ve never been one to be sexually forward. But the words just came out. I didn’t want to lose the connection we were having.

“Challenge accepted,” he says as his erection grows between us.

Then, as his tongue travels every inch of my body, going way above and beyond my highest expectations, I shoo Bex away when he whines at the edge of the bed, and get lost in this amazing shirt-sucking, ketchup-eating, knuckle-cracking man.

Chapter Twenty-seven

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