Page 9 of Them Bones

“Laney,” she affirmed.

“Short for… like… what?”

“Just Laney.”

“Your driver’s license says Laney?”

“I’m not old enough to drive.”

He double-dog ignored the sinking feeling in his stomach. “How old are you, exactly?”

“Fourteen.”

Fuck.

“How old areyou?” she parroted.

“I’m, um, seventeen.”

“Hmm,” she said.

“Hmm, what?”

“Shouldn’t you be in high school? A senior?”

“Nah. School was never my jam.”

“You do seem to lack basic life skills,” she muttered.

“I know how to do laundry and shower,” he snapped. She blinked at him, looking like he’d punched her.

Again,you fucking asshat. Like you punched heragain.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I shouldn’t have said that, earlier.” She finally wiped the milk off her face with the back of her hand. “Are you homeless?” she asked in a much softer tone.

He stilled. Nobody ever had the balls to justask.It was always ‘Do you have somewhere to stay tonight?’ or ‘It’s gonna be cold out this week’.

“I’m between couches,” he gritted out.

“You can stay in my brother’s room,” she said, her voice lilting at the end as if it were a question.

“Somehow I feel like Dustin wouldn’t really be up for sharing his personal space.”

“My other brother’s room. He comes and goes, but he’s not around much. He crashed here a few days ago, so he probably won’t be back for another month, maybe.”

Shane rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said slowly.

“Why not?” she asked, cocking her head to the side again.

That’s why not.

A wolfish smile snaked across her face, as if she’d heard him.

“It’s just a bed,” she said. He swallowed at the wordbedand forced his brain to skip over the next forty-five seconds of completely inappropriate thoughts.

“What about your folks?” he asked. “Doubt they’d like some random guy hanging around their kid daughter.”

She visibly bristled at the wordkidbut put her spoon down.

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