Page 22 of The Crush
After he reaches the window, he grabs my arms and helps pull me through, letting me fall into him. Holding me so tight that I can hardly breathe, but I don’t care to break away. “You okay?” I ask.
He relaxes, his nose in my hair. “Yeah.”
“Bad dream?”
“Something like that.” Daniel leans back to look at me. “What are you doing here, bonita?”
“I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow,” I admit, looking up at him with a tentative smile. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. I’m glad you came.”
I reach up on tiptoes to smooth his hair down, but it sticks straight back up. He grumbles in response. “Needs a cut.”
“No, I like it how it is,” I tell him, letting him lead me away from the window while my eyes sweep over his shoulders and back.
Reaching the bed, he sits, then guides me to stand in front of him. His fingers find the hem of my shirt, pulling it up over my head before moving to my jeans and unbuttoning them slowly. Only when I’m as bare as he is does he crawl backward into bed and take me with him, situating me so I’m curled against his side. His fingers drift up and down my back, lulling me to sleep before I’m ready, and to keep myself awake, I draw invisible shapes on his chest and side. My fingers graze scars now and again, each one known to me even if I haven’t had the courage to ask about them yet.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” he says after a while, his voice remaining hushed. “About almost knocking out your brother.”
I stretch to place my chest on top of his, looking down at him as my chin rests on my folded arms. “Would you really have knocked him out? Let me picture that.”
“Isabel.”
“I’ve never had anyone fight for me before,” I continue, undeterred. “I think I might have enjoyed it too much.”
Daniel cups my cheek, fixes his eyes on mine. “No one should get to talk to you like that.”
“I know,” I murmur, then lean in to kiss him. “I really do appreciate you sticking up for me though. It was also really attractive.”
He chuckles. “Well, that’s something.” He shifts until we’re lying on our sides facing each other. “Since youarehere…”
“Yeah?” My brow furrows, my interest piqued as I try to think of where he’s going with that statement. And why he suddenly seems so serious.
“How would you feel about taking a trip to Austin?” he asks. “With me.”
“A trip?”
“There’s an expo up there next weekend,” he explains. “I thought we could use it as an excuse to get out of here for a few days. Have a little longer than a couple hours here and there?”
My heart is racing as I eagerly nod. “I’d love to.”
He smiles. “We’ll have to come up with a story for you. To explain why you’re suddenly going out of town. Unless you were also planning to go to the expo?”
I wrinkle my nose. “No, butmaybeI could be going back to San Antonio for a visit?” I suggest, already mentally packing my bags. “I could be staying with friends.”
Daniel abruptly rolls and pins me beneath him, kissing me until I’m breathing fast. “No, Isabel. You’re staying with me.”
“Are you planning to argue with my story every time I tell it?” I tease. “Because it won’t be very convincing that way.”
He sighs. “I still don’t like you having to lie. I don’t want you looking back on this and wishing you did things differently.”
Looking back on thisbecause…it’s not forever. Because at some point, he’ll move on.
I raise my head to kiss him before he can see the tears forming in the corners of my eyes and whisper, “I won’t.”
Seeming to accept that answer for now, he starts to skim his mouth lower, making a path down my body, and I close my eyes as I let the lust take over, as I tell myself that even if this is all I ever get with him, it’ll be enough for me. Already more than I ever expected. It’ll beenough.
I guess I really do suck at lying. Even to myself.
