Page 37 of Bending The Rules

“Oh, okay. When is the wedding?”

“No agreement on that, either.”

“Oh.”

Yeah.

Oh.

I slid the box to the side of the desk, leaving space for me to pick up another. Instead of continuing the conversation, I really did start singing along with Aaliyah – my way of distracting from the questions about me and Russell. WhenAt Your Bestfaded out,One in a Millionfaded in, and I sang along with that too. I got lost in it, actually, singing like I was alone in the room as I went through the boxes, until I realized Justin’s eyes hadn’t left me.

I put a box of stuffed animals on top of the picture frames, then turned to face him as I stuck the cap back on my marker. He was crouched behind an open box of yearbooks and photo albums, but I had his full attention. He was looking at me with something like…reverencein his eyes, and it made me feel… strange. I crossed my arms over my chest, covering the evidence of my hardening nipples.

“What?” I asked, propping my hip against the desk. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No.” He stood up. “It’s just… your voice. It’s beautiful. Kind of hits you right in the…” he pointed to his chest, but didn’t finish his statement.

I cleared my throat, and looked away, making myself busy with another box. “You’ve heard me sing about five million times, Justin.”

“Not in seven years though.”

“I was singing when you walked in a few minutes ago.”

“You were being silly, and still sounded good. This is different.”

I shook my head, but still didn’t turn around. “It’s just the song, Jus. I’m bringing back memories of your crush on therealBaby Girl.”

“I only know one “real” Baby Girl, and her name is Toni.”

“Stop,” I said, waving him off. “I don’t know why you’re up here trying to gas me up.”

“I’m catching up,” he teased, as the song faded out, and another took its place. “Heyyy,” he said, as the music shifted into something we both recognized.

“Oh God.” I covered my face with my hands as Timbaland launched into the opening rap, about a woman who suddenly didn’t want to be bothered with him, and wondering if another man had her attention. There wasn’t a single part of me that was surprised when Justin came up behind me and grabbed my hand, turning me around.

I pressed my lips together tight, trying hard not to smile as he sang the first line of the song, about trying to go on without me in his life.I’ll Do Anything, by Ginuwine, always brought back fond, funny memories of Justin for me.

He grabbed me by the hips, moving me to dance with him as he sang – and sounded damned good, to be honest.

“You remember when I sang this at the talent show in high school?” he asked, pulling me in closer.

I nodded, tipping my head back to look up at him as we moved. “I sure do. Ialsoremember Coach Dawson snatching you off the stage after you ripped your shirt open, and gave half the population of the school the vapors. Those girls wentnuts!”

“Good times, man. Good times.”

I giggled. “I bet it was. I seem to recall you were very,verypopular after that. As a matter of fact… that’s why the school was calling you “LL Cool J” most of senior year, wasn’t it? You graduated up from Ginuwine.”

“The ladies loved cool Jus,” he chuckled, keeping his arms wrapped around my waist as he started singing again, this time right in my ear.

I bit down on my lip and closed my eyes, trying my hardest not to moan as his lips accidentally brushed my ear.

“Uh, yeah,” I nodded, trying to ease away. “They did. Pretty sure every girl in the auditorium that day left with wet panties.”

Justin stopped moving, and pulled his head back to raise an eyebrow at me. “Every girl?”

“Well, notme,of course,” I quickly covered, and my words were actually true. “You know you didn’t do anything for me back then. We were too close. I was immune to… these eyes, and that voice, and the charm.”

“Back then?”

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