Page 102 of False Start

Kit came with the alarm clock, a faint mewl of pleasure that pushed me over the edge.

She let go, swiping a kiss over my lips before turning onto her back. “Now I need to shower before we go, too.”

“Same,” I grinned. “It’d be quicker if we showered together.”

I dragged Kit down the plain hallways of the office complex, offended they hadn’t even sprung for a generic picture of a farm or a couple of plastic potted plants. White walls and fake laminate wood flooring as far as the eye could see.

“You sure this is the right place?” I asked, turning back to make sure we hadn’t taken a wrong turn. The place was a maze, and all the businesses sounded like fronts for money laundering. AHB Financial, Betty’s Cleaning Company, The Body Group.

She tapped the placard at the end of the hallway: Universal Exams. “Yep, this way. You could have just dropped me off out front, you know.”

Kit had only told me that about a half-dozen times, but in the week since I’d practically moved into her apartment, we’d been studying non-stop.

Okay, maybe not non-stop, but most of the time. After work, during meals, in bed. Kit’s decision that we’d go back to barely friends after the rally fell apart as soon as Derek said he didn’t plan on staying in the apartment.

And I hoped, like me, she was just making excuses to spend more time together.

“I’m really nervous,” she admitted, shaking out her hands as we reached the frosted windowpane marked “Universal Exams.” A menacing sign below read, “Please read all rules before entering to avoid ejection from the testing site.”

I ran my thumb over the words. “Wow, serious business.”

“I’m ready, right?” Kit paced, walking two feet and then turning around again.

I made room for a guy in a white polo and khakis to pass into the exam room. “You’re ready.”

“It’s just really expensive, and if I fail?—”

I grabbed her hands, preventing her from making another lap.

“Kitten, you’ve got this. You’re ready.” I sucked in a breath and she mirrored me as I blew it out. “You’re going to ace the hell out of this test and then we’re going to celebrate.”

She held back a grin, but when I pulled her closer, she ducked her head before I reached her lips.

“Trent,” she mumbled, eyes darting around the empty hallway.

I frowned. “What?”

“You can’t just kiss me in public.”

“This is hardly public.”

Her face pinched before she reluctantly stood on her toes and swiped a kiss over my cheek. “Alright, I should get inside.”

A range of disappointment gripped me, but I shoved it away. “Good luck. Let me know how you did. You sure you don’t want me to pick you up?”

She shook her head. “Gavin lives right down the street, and Derek is coming home tonight. You probably want a night to yourself, anyway.”

I didn’t. I also didn’t want to crowd Kit if she needed space. “Sure, I should probably drop my clothes off and make sure the place didn’t burn down.”

She smiled tightly. “I’ll see you.”

“Good luck.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” I asked Rob, unable to get Kit’s rejection out of my head.

She didn’t want to be seen kissing me. And it fucking stung.

“Aren’t you just fooling around anyway?” he grumbled, splitting his attention between me, the soccer game on the screen, and the baby monitor perched on the side table. Mila cooed out a song in her room that screeched over the monitor.

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