Page 69 of Trip Me Up

“Of course. No pressure. You can think about it.”

“Sure.”

It was a thanks-but-no-thankssure.And she was probably right. Maybe it’d be better if she declined the invitation I hadn’t even meant to extend. Gabi’s words echoed through my head.Meeting the family and trips to the farm and talk about forever.Sam had assured me she wasn’t a forever kind of person.

“I should go. I’ve got that early-morning talk show tomorrow.”

“A talk show?”

“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck, which had gone hot. “Qiana called me this afternoon. They had a guest back out. And after the nomination, they asked me to fill the spot.”

“That’s wonderful, Niall. Television.” She sounded sincere. Her violet eyes shone.

“This isn’t going to be weird, is it? Both of us nominated for the Tower Prize?”

She paled, and that was all the answer I needed. Of course it was going to be weird.

“I don’t want to think about the Tower Prize. Not tonight.” She stepped up to me and put her palms on my chest. “You did such a good job of distracting me before. Want to do it again?”

She must’ve felt my heart racing under her hands. My breath heaving. My balls, which had been aching for an hour, since I’d buried my face in her, tingled. Of course I wanted to do it again. But I put my hands over hers and pulled them off my traitorous chest.Guard that soft heart of yours, Niall.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” The words felt like glass shards in my throat.

She grinned. “Because it’s Valentine’s Day? I swear I’m not one of those love-obsessed people who’ll cling to you like a barnacle if we have sex on February fourteenth.”

“No, of course not.” If I believed in Valentine’s Day magic, I’d have made love to her right where we stood. If only I could get her to cling to me and not want to toss me away as soon as the tour ended.

Her playful smile faded. “Because of the prize? Because I—”

“No.” I squeezed her hands. “The prize has nothing to do with us.” I tried to get the words right in my head before I said them.

“Then why?”

“I’m starting to have some…feelings about you. Feelings I know you don’t reciprocate. And sex is going to complicate that.”

“But we already had sex.”

A pain erupted over my left eyebrow. Gabi had said the same thing. “And it was fantastic. But I need to stop there. Unless you’ve changed your mind about ending things when the tour ends?” I hated the hopeful rise to my voice. It sounded too much like the hundred times I’d asked my father to come home.

She shook her head. Her eyes had gone dull like she’d pulled a velvet curtain down over them.

I kissed her, softly, briefly. “Good-night, Sam. And the invitation to the farm? Purely platonic. I think you could use the break.”

She looked down at her bare toes.

When I kissed the top of her head, I had to hold my breath to avoid her tempting scent. I scratched Bilbo’s chin and left her room, shutting the door gently behind me.

Platonic.As soon as the word was out of my mouth, it echoed with falsehood. Aside from my friends in Enchanted Forest, I’d never asked anyone there I didn’t think I was in love with. The farm was too special, too close to my heart, to clutter up with acquaintances.

Sam belonged there. She’d punched her way into my heart and set up camp. And I’d let her in, dangerously close to everything I held sacred.

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