Page 60 of Three Rules I'd Never Break

His cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. “I’m close to my parents, and you’re important to me. It came up a few times.”

“Now what’s this about your mom doing your laundry?”

He set me down in front of a door. “I am capable of doing my own, but she offered. So, I let her.” He pushed open the door. “This is my old room.”

The walls were mostly bare.

“No posters of swimsuit models?” I poked him in the ribs.

He shook his head. “I used to have a few car posters up. Set your bag in here, and I’ll give you a quick tour. Then we can go out to the pool.”

He gave me the grand tour of the house, then walked me back to the room. “See you in a sec.”

“Hey.”

“Yeah?” He rested his shoulder against the door frame, looking as sexy as ever.

I inched up on my tiptoes and touched my lips to his. “I like you.”

Smiling, he pulled me closer. “I’ve never kissed anyone in my bedroom before.” The door closed behind him as he walked me backward. “But just a quick one.”

He flopped onto the bed, pulling me down on top of him and sending half of his laundry falling to the floor.

The door opened, and I dropped my head to his chest. This was embarrassing.

“Hey, Dad. Need something?” Eli’s tone was strained.

“Mom wanted to know if you wanted ice cream sundaes before or after swimming.” Mr. Gallagher glanced at the clothes on the floor. “I’ll let her know you’re thinking about it.” He walked out, and the door closed with a bang.

I pushed off Eli and found my footing. “I’ll meet you out by the pool.”

“Sorry about that.”

I shrugged. It wasn’t as if we’d been doing anything wrong. Eli was incredible when it came to respecting my boundaries. And he didn’t even know all the reasons I had them.

“I’ll go tell them we want ice cream in the hot tub after we swim.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever done that.”

He blew me a kiss before walking out the door.

I slipped out of my sundress and shoes, then pulled my coverup on over my swimsuit. Maybe his dad wouldn’t say anything about what he saw. What were the chances?

At the back door, I stopped and scanned the patio. Eli stood with his back to me, talking to his dad.

I needed to set up a call so that Eli could talk to my dad. If I waited until he came for a visit, he might never meet Eli.

Reaching for the door handle, I froze when Eli yanked off his shirt.

Dang.

Seconds ticked by as I watched him rub sunscreen onto his neck and arms.

“He’ll probably need help getting it on his back. You should go out there.” Patsy patted my arm.

“Sure. Yeah.” I opened the back door and stepped out. “I can help with that.”

Eli flashed that wonderful grin. “And I’ll return the favor.”

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