Page 58 of Sweet Thing

She went on, a slight hitch in her voice. “I don’t even want that. Casual sex, or the idea of it, doesn’t appeal much. I see my mom and dad, and I want what they have. We joke about it—the Great Love Story, Trademark. But it’s beautiful to see. Comforting. Only, to even get that far, I’d have to attract someone, which is hard to do when you’re cowering in the corner.”

I was tempted to mention that Theo and Elle had started with a one-night stand, a very casual beginning, but that probably wasn’t the point.

“How does this relate to getting mugged in Greece?”

“Oh, just that not wanting to cramp Rosie’s game made me a little reckless. Going off on my own. It wasn’t her fault, and she feels terribly guilty about it. Also, sometimes I just want me-time, and that kind of introversion makes it hard to make an impression on someone.”

“Adeline, you are no less beautiful or attractive than Rosie. You have this quiet strength that shines off you. You’re amazing with my daughter.”You’re amazing with me.“Everyone brings something different to the table so comparing yourself to a friend—or teammate—is never going to make you feel better. What you should be doing is focusing on your strengths.”

“Wallflower. Undecided. DUFF.”

“DUFF?”

“Designated Ugly Fat Friend. Except I know I’m not ugly or fat. Maybe nondescript and … meaty?”

I wanted to shake her. “Right, because I fantasize about nondescript and meaty all the time.”

She stiffened. Huh, big mouth strikes again. Seconds ticked by painfully slowly.

I broke the strained silence. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Maybe we should talk about it.”

It was the last thing I wanted to talk about, but I couldn’t deny her, not after she’d been so honest about her feelings of inadequacy.

“What I did was inappropriate, Adeline.”

“But you did it all the same, Lars. You thought about me while you … jerked off.”

Adeline

The darkness made it easier,this shield of shadows. Or at least I thought so until the silence stretched taut enough to break, and I held my breath for the moment Lars would cut this discussion off at the knees.

He answered simply. “I did.”

“Why?”

He sighed, his breath a warm puff against my lips. “Do I have to spell that out? Or how wrong it is?”

“Yes, and not sure I care.”

His thumb grazed my cheek. “You are so fucking beautiful.”

My heart clattered like a wild thing, and I didn’t know how I managed to keep my response so cool. “So that answers one question.”

His lids went to half-mast. “You’re the fantasy of any guy, Adeline, but you’re also my teammate’s daughter, my kid’s nanny, and at least a decade younger than me. All those things are outside the lines but also the forbidden is …”

“Sexy,” I murmured.

“Yeah. It is. You are. The taboo adds an extra element to the fantasy. None of this can go any further than my fevered imagination.”

My entire body rebelled at that conclusion. I placed a hand on his chest, splayed my fingers to take in more. I needed him to know that this wasn’t one-sided, despite those earlier claims that my crush was history.

Because it clearly was not. I had it bad for Lars Nyquist.

“So you get to use me to get off and I can only … listen?”

I don’t think I had ever been so bold in my life. If I didn’t take this chance, I might never have another one.

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