Page 66 of Spring Tide

“You said you were going to be honest with me.”

“What did Eden mean when she said your plan worked? I thought ... you said you didn’t have expectations last night. Did you come up here with the intention of sharing a room?”

I gnaw on my bottom lip, confused by the frustrated curve in his brow. “Are you asking me if I came to your game because I was trying to seduce you?”

“Did you?” he grinds out, face flushed with heat.

“No, Luca.” I laugh, the sound empty and awkward. “I came up here because you weren’t talking to me, and I wanted to show you that I care about you. That’s it.”

“Okay,” he sighs, seemingly unconvinced.

“Okay? Even if I had wanted to sleep with you, completely premeditated, would that have been so wrong?”

“I told you I want to take things slow.”

“I know.” I shift to face him, waiting patiently until he meets my gaze. When our eyes connect, I feel the hesitation rolling off him in waves. “I’m just wondering ... this seems like a big hang-up for you. Is there something else going on?”

His jaw is tight. “What?”

“You’re acting like I committed a crime or something.”

He gestures wildly toward the door. “I mean, you let Eden think that we slept together.”

“I’m sorry? I didn’t think it was a big deal since she believes we’re a couple ... because that’s whatyouwanted.”

He releases a humorless snort, eyes narrowed at a spot behind my head. “Right, because sex isn’t a big deal. My bad.”

“Luca!” My frustration finally wins out, voice growing weary. “Stop putting words in my mouth, please.”

“Fuck.” He leans forward on the mattress, palms resting against his knees before he runs them up and down his thighs. He jerks into a standing position. His fingers push through his sleep-tousled hair.

“I’m sorry, Harper. I think you’re right. There is ...somethingI’m hung up on.”

“What is it?”

He’s quiet while his jaw works back and forth, slowly releasing the tension. “You remember what I said about my ex?” he finally asks. “Why she broke things off?”

“She, um, she said you weren’t providing for her emotionally?”

“Right.” His eyes squeeze shut. “Like I said, I had no fucking clue she felt that way about us. We weren’t together a whole lot after she left for school, but we would talk,often, and when we did see each other, she was ... all over me.”

I wince, rubbing an open palm against my thigh.

“Shit, I’m sorry. This is too much.” He caresses my bare shoulder. “See, this is why I don’t—”

“No, it’s okay. I want you to tell me.”

“Sof,shewas more of the initiator than I was, I guess. That last weekend, when she came to visit, we slept together twice before she dumped me. I asked her why ... why would she be with me that way if she knew it was over?” He squeezes my shoulder once, ever so gently, before his hand drops back to his side. “You know what she said? ‘Sex was never the problem between us. It was everything else.’”

My gaze is soft as I reach for his hand, his large palm sliding against mine. “Wow.”

“Yeah, wow. And now, I guess I don’t want to be confused again. Blindsided. If you and I are gonna be together physically, I want it to be clear where we both stand. I need to know this isn’t just part of our original agreement. I need to know it’s not fake.”

“I get that.” I grip his hand, using it for leverage as I pull myself to stand.

“So if you’re not sure how you’re feeling, or if you don’t want more for us, then—”

“I do want more.” My other hand comes up, slides into his hair.

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