Page 36 of Theirs to Take

“No,” Rod said, “it’s not the only way, honey. We could actually not lie to her another way.” She was trying to keep up with him, but Rod wasn’t making much sense.

“I’m not following,” Evie admitted.

“If we were really together, then we wouldn’t be lying to anyone,” Rod said.

“You can’t be serious,” she said. “You and me?” she asked.

“Sure,” he agreed. “Why not?”

“Because we can’t have one conversation with each other without it ending in a fight,” she said. “Plus, you know my situation, Rod, and don’t pretend you don’t. I know you overheard Alex and me talking about my um, status,” she said.God, she usually had no problem telling a guy that she was a virgin. Why was it so hard to say that word to Rod?

“You mean, the fact that you’re a virgin?” he asked. He parked in front of Tyler’s new place and turned off the engine. She couldn’t look at him, but she knew Rod was staring her down as if daring her to give him the words.

“Yes,” she breathed. “I’m a virgin. I’m betting that you don’t date many of those, Rod.” He pulled her hand into his own and she still couldn’t look at him.

“Evie,” he whispered, “look at me, please.”

“I can’t,” she croaked.

“Please,” he said again.

She was never one to cower at one of his demands but looking at him and having this conversation wasn’t something that she wanted to do. Still, she found herself turning to face him. Rod leaned in and gently kissed her lips.

“What are you doing?” she stuttered, breaking their kiss.

“I’m just seeing something,” he said.

“Seeing something?” she asked.

“Yeah, be quiet and let me figure this out,” he ordered. He smiled and pulled her in for another kiss, this time, she didn’t pull away or want him to stop. If he was seeing that they were compatible, she’d give him his answer—they were.

“Wow,” Rod breathed. “Tell me you didn’t feel that,” he said.

“Do you mean that spark?” she asked. She felt it but telling him that might not be her best idea. What option did she have—he’d just keep kissing her until she admitted that she felt the same thing as him.

“I felt it,” she admitted. “The sparks, I mean.”

“Thank fuck,” he growled.

“It doesn’t change anything,” Evie insisted. “We still lied to Nova and she’s still going to find out.”

He cupped her jaw in his big hand and she couldn’t stop herself from leaning into his touch. “Just give this a chance, honey,” he said. “Please.”

She shouldn’t have agreed to it, really. Evie should have told him that she wasn’t going to jump into a relationship with him just so she could claim not to be lying to her best friend, but she wanted what he was offering. She found herself nodding her agreement to his plea, and before she knew it, she was practically on his lap. Rod pulled her across the center console and wrapped her in his arms.

“Thank you, honey,” he said.

“We still have a lot to talk about, Rod,” she warned. “But Nova and Alex just pulled up and now isn’t the time.”

She watched as her best friend got out of Alex’s car, smiling ear to ear, walking to Rod’s SUV. “We need to go in,” Evie said.

“All right but promise me that when we get back to your place, you’ll ask me in so that we can talk,” he said.

“Talk?” she asked, “just talk?”

“Sure,” he agreed, “unless you have a better idea.” She could come up with about a thousand other things she’d like to do than just talk, but they weren’t ready for that next step. Technically, they had only been together for a matter of minutes now, so talking was going to have to be enough.

“Just talking,” she grumbled. Rod chuckled and helped her out of his SUV.

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