Page 33 of Heartfelt Goals

Please don’t bite your lip.

Oh, heck—what was he even thinking?

And then she bit her lip.

A low, involuntary sound threatened to escape his throat, and in a last-ditch effort to save himself, he dropped his gaze to the blankets pooled around his waist. His body was already betraying him, but at least if she didn’t see the evidence, he could pretend to have some semblance of control.

“…Would be appropriate with the little straps and lace,” she finished softly.

Dustin nearly choked.

Little straps? Lace?

Have mercy…

He was dying.

Keep it calm. You are in control. You are sooo in control you have a plan…

His mind raced, struggling to focus on anything—anything—other than the image her words had just burned into his brain. His throat felt like sandpaper, his heart hammering against his ribs. And she was still standing there. Still watching him. Still in his darn shirt.

“Yep! Great!” he blurted, his voice cracking like a rookie in his first game.

With all the grace of a man about to lose every ounce of self-restraint he possessed, he flopped over, shoving his face into his pillow like an absolute coward.

“Good night!”

There was a pause—one where he swore he could feel her amusement, hear the hint of a smile in the way she lingered before answering.

“Good night,” she finally said, her voice soft, warm, far too intimate in the quiet of the room.

Dustin clenched his eyes shut as tightly as possible, willing himself not to look. He listened instead to the sound of the mattress giving as she crawled into bed, the soft rustle of sheets as she settled, the faint click as she turned off the lamp between them.

Darkness settled around them.

“Good night, Dustin,” she whispered again.

His heart gave a hard, traitorous thud.

“Thank you for everything, you know,” she continued. “I appreciate the way we were able to include Kendall—making dinner, and playing the Monopoly game. The car was over the top, but it’s definitely a thoughtful gesture.”

“That’s me… thoughtful,” he forced out, his hands fisting in the blankets. “It’s gonna be a long day tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

“Oh yeah, I’ve gotta go by the school, get a few things, and maybe we can meet up for dinner or something?”

“Let’s play it by ear.”

“Of course. I need to start plotting and working on my next book, so yeah—let’s play it by ear.”

Dustin almost asked her about it.Almost. But romance novels were the last thing he needed on his mind right now. No, he needed silence. Peace and —wait.

Peach?

No— peaceandquiet. Not peaches.

What am I thinking?

He needed peace and quiet in his life.

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