Page 39 of Study Buddies

Embarrassment washed over me, but also frustration that he could make squirm in my seat. A vengeance fantasy popped into my mind. What if instead of me jumping out of the car, I shoved him out of his door? For a moment, I calculated the odds that I could slide into the driver’s seat before we crashed.

“Victoria?”

“You couldn’t have started with an easier question?”

He shrugged. “Sure I could’ve.”

That almost made me laugh. His question was outrageous, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I knew why I’d looked. But I didn’t want to back down and use the safeword for the very first thing he asked. He’d been right about one thing… it wouldn’t hurt me to talk about these things. Probably. “I didn’t want to, but… then I couldn’t help it. It was like my phone was whispering to me that I had to turn it over.”

Kyle laughed. “Got it. You had to look at my dick because your phone was haunted.”

I rolled my eyes. “I didn’t want to look… but I also couldn’t not look.” I tried to think how to explain it better, which wasn’t easy when my cheeks were so hot I was pretty sure smoke was rising from them. “Okay, it’s like this. Suppose a friend visited you in December. He showed you a present, a little red box with a green bow on it, and he placed it under your Christmas tree. And then he said, ‘Whatever you do, don’t shake the box.’ Wouldn’t you be unable to resist shaking it, just once?”

“Forbidden fruit.” He nodded. “But I wouldn’t shake it.”

“Seriously? You have that much self-control?”

He laughed. “Hell no. I’d open it the second he left.”

That sounded about right. “Yeah, well, it was kind of like that for me.”

He smirked. “So you’re saying you wanted to unwrap my package?”

“Kyle.” My tone seemed like a precursor to the stern voice I might need when disciplining future students.

“Okay, I’ll admit, you answered more fully than I expected. Next question… were you disappointed it was that actor?”

“Are you kidding? Dick Van Dyke is a national treasure.”

He laughed. “My thoughts exactly.”

“And I’ve always likedMary Poppins.”

“Yeah? When we get home, maybe we can stream it and fool around on the couch.”

I couldn’t help grinning at his nerve. Everything that came out of his mouth surprised the hell out of me. It usually also embarrassed me or turned me on, too. Or both. “Tempting, but I’ll pass.”

“Smart girl. All right, last one.”

My breath hitched in as I mentally braced myself. But… I was also smiling a little in anticipation. By giving me the safeword, Kyle had also somehow made it so that I could talk about this stuff without having to worry about things getting out of hand.

“Ready?” he glanced over. “You look like you’re preparing for battle.”

“It kind of feels like a battle.” One that I wanted to win. “What’s your last question?”

“Did you like seeing me shirtless down in the basement?”

“Yes.”

“Because from where I was standing, it seemed like—hold up, did you just say yes? No hesitation? No pink cheeks and shyly looking away?”

“I’m pretty sure my cheeks haven’t stopped being pink since I climbed into your truck.”

“I can confirm that’s true. Now hold the wheel while I strip my shirt off.”

I laughed, and he joined in.

“Anyway, I’m proud of you. You did well. Now you get to ask me some questions.”

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