Page 45 of Teach Me to Laugh

I glanced back at him after I’d preheated the oven. “When I got home from shopping after school.”

“I think I wanna marry you.” He teased and my heart did this totally unacceptable flutter.Unacceptable!

I scowled; packing all the punch I had behind it. “I’m not that easy.”

“I know.” He said matter of fact, and again, my silly heart flipped.It freaking flipped!

“You said you wanted to try it, so I figured why not make it now.”

“Well, thanks.”

“I’m going to have a bubble bath,” I said abruptly. “Oven’s preheating so it just needs to be put in when it’s ready. It’ll cook for forty minutes, if you don’t mind popping it in?”

“Got it, peanut,” he assured warmly. “Enjoy your bath.”

I didn’t say anything as I escaped into the hall. I’d been doing this a lot since our night out when I gave him much more than I intended to give him. I knew he sensed it, but he didn’t press for a reason I couldn’t give. He just let me work through my crap the way I needed to work through my crap. I appreciated that about him.

Actually, I pretty much appreciated everything about Beckett. That’s what sucked.

What sucked even more was the fact that we only had two more days of school before we would be preparing to spend our week in Beckett’s parents’ cabin. I knew Raina had an exam on Monday, but Beckett and I were free to head out early with groceries and goodies for the weekend.

I was freaking out big time. Big. Time.

But I was trying to play it cool so not everyone would know the extent of just how messed up I was inside. By everyone, I meant Mr. Golden Boy in the kitchen. That’s why I was hiding in a bubble bath at seven o’clock in the afternoon while the lasagna I’d prepped for the man in said kitchen, cooked in the oven.

“Amara,” a knuckle tapped against the door and I stiffened, my heart going haywire in my chest. “You gonna be out soon? Pretty sure it’s almost done.”

“Yep.”God, go away!I’m naked, and it’s bad enough that I was already thinking about the man.

“Great.”

Yeah, someone up above was cursing me for sure, I thought, as I pulled the plug and stood from my bubbly water. I decided there was no point in dressing up again because Iwouldn’t do much after eating, so I donned my cute purple and white snowflake jammies, tossed my hair into a messy bun and joined Beckett in the kitchen.

He was at the stove, slicing the lasagna into large squares. “Did you find the garlic bread?”

“Sure did,” he nodded, still focused on cutting dinner. “Can’t have lasagna without garlic bread.”

“True,” I conceded, because I absolutely had to agree.

Beckett turned and his warm golden eyes dropped to my jammies. “Cute, peanut. Tell me you’ll bring those to the cabin.”

Where was that throw pillow when a girl needed it?“Ha. Ha.”

He laughed, always finding such enjoyment when he teased me. “Seriously, though, you look cute.”

“I’m not trying to look cute.”

“That’s probably why you look cute.”

“Argh,” my booty connected with the island stool. “Are you going to serve dinner, or what?”

Beckett bent to pull the garlic bread from the oven. My eyes landed where they had no business landing—you named it, on his freaking amazing ass. My cheeks felt like little ruby apple crisps.

“Yeah, yeah, hold onto your panties, will you?”

He just had to mention panties . . .

I rolled my eyes to the sound of tick-tick, click-click, as my fingernails tapped against the granite. I was playing at nonchalance—and sucking at it. I have no idea when I lost anyand all control over my hormones, but it had happened, and I’d need to figure out a way to deal. And soon. Staring at his behind and thinking lickable thoughts about his chest were not going to aid me in doing so.

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