Page 94 of Puck Block

Ford slowly rests against the sturdy tree trunk, and we have nothing but the moonlight separating us. “You know what else you’re terrible for?”

“My parents’ wallet?” It’s not funny, but it is fitting.

He sighs. “My willpower.”

“I didn’t ask you to follow me.”

“And yet, here I am.”

It makes me feel better that he’s up here with me, but I won’t admit it. I look through the bare branches of the tree to stare at the backside of my house.They’re selling our home.

“Tell me what you’re thinking about.”

I swing my feet back and forth, and Ford’s leg tightens against my stomach. “I’m thinking of ways to pay for my insulin and past medical bills.”

Ford’s smooth voice settles me. “Alright, let’s hear ‘em.”

I smile on the inside. “I could drop out of college and become a stripper.”

The plywood beneath us bends a little as Ford leans closer to me. “What did I tell you before we left the rink?”

“Before or after you kissed me?” I tease.

“Stop fucking with me,” he mumbles under his breath.“A stripper. Yeah, fucking right.”

I laugh quietly when he grunts but shut right up when he quickly reaches forward and pulls me in closer. His legs spread over the plywood, and I fit in between them with my back against his chest. His heart pounds against my spine when his arm traps me to him. “You love to get a rise out of me, don’t you? You are not stripping.”

I roll my lips together. “Your possessiveness is showing again.”

His lips brush over my neck. “It only comes out to play when you’re involved.”

My arms fall to his as he holds us steady over the make-shift floor.

“What else have you come up with?”

I shrug. “Feet pics.”

Ford’s chest rumbles with laughter. “I’ve seen those ballerina feet. You ain’t makin’ money off those.”

I elbow him in his right abdomen. “Rude.”

He laughs. “What’s next?”

He told me to stop playing games, but I can’t help it. Ford brings out a side of me that no one else can. “I think my best bet is to marry rich. Maybe a doctor.” I snap my fingers. “Rush’s brother. Remember him? He’s in med school. It’ll be a two-in-one. My parents will love that. I’ll be under the care of a medical professional at all timesandbe able to afford my medication.”

Ford tenses from behind. His muscles lock, and I hear the way his teeth clank together. “You think you’re funny, don’t you?”

The corner of my mouth quirks. “I think it’s funny to get a rise out of you.”

Ford’s hand glides over my thigh, and I’m suddenly hyperaware of his every movement. “I think you like to test me,” he whispers, pushing on my thigh. It falls open just wide enough that he can run his finger up the inseam.

“I should tell you to stop,” I say. “Weren’t you the one that told me to keep you in line?”

I don’t know what we’re doing or how we found ourselves in this position, but it’s too enthralling to stop. I’m not sure if he’s trying to distract me or if he feels as uncontrollable as I do, but being up here with him feels like some sort of survival. He refuses to let me carry my burdens myself, and to me, that’s huge.

Ford’s hand is steady on the inside of my thigh, and it leaves a sensitive tingle behind. “You won’t tell me to stop. You like me touching you just as much as I like touching you, don’t you?”

My lungs fill with air, and I nod against his chest. His teeth sink into my earlobe, and he pulls on it at the same time he unbuttons my jeans. “I can’t help myself when it comes to you,” he admits. I shut my eyes when his fingers slip underneath my panties. “This wasn’t my plan when I came after you.”

---