Page 55 of Fluke
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PIPPA
“What’s the matter?” Jess asks, reaching behind him and grabbing my hand. He winks, slowing his pace so I can catch up.
Not that I couldn’t catch up if I wanted to. I’m just moping. And reeling. Pouting a little bit too.
“Holding your hand is so lame,” I say, rolling my eyes.
He chuckles, clearly amused by my antics. “I’m sorry. Are your panties in a twist?”
“For your information, I’m not wearing any. So fuck off.”
He stops in the middle of the road between his house and his parents’. The abruptness leaves me stumbling.
He works his jaw back and forth, studying me to discover whether I’m telling the truth.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “Is your dick getting hard again?”
It’s my turn to wink.
“You think this is funny, don’t you?” he asks.
“About as funny as you did when you told me you weren’t even going to kiss me.”
“There wasn’t time.”
“How long does it take to kiss me? I’m starting to think you’re full of shit, and you’ve let your mouth overload your ass—which is something I know a lot about. Hence, the reason I’m here in the first place.”
He plucks a lock of hair off my shoulder and tosses it back. His knuckles graze my skin, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake.
“If I getthe privilegeof touching you,” he says, his voice soft, “I’m not hurrying. I’m not kissing you and ending it so we can leave.I’m not starting something I can’t stop. I’ve waited too damn long.”
My chest tightens as I peer up into his green eyes. “If, huh? Do you think there’s a chance it won’t happen?”
“I’m trying not to get my hopes up, just in case.”
Anxiety flickers through me, and I shift my weight from one foot to the other, trying to process which way to go.
I know what he means about not getting his hopes up; I don’t want to set myself up for disappointment, either.
Although I’m all in on sleeping with Jess today—now, preferably—I haven’t forgotten reality.
“Let’s make a deal,” I say.
“Shoot.”
“All bets are off for the next week. Until we get back from Silver Springs, anything goes.”
His eyes light up.
“We both want this, right?” I ask.
“Hell, yeah.”
“So let’s do it. Take disappointment off the table. Let’s get our fill of one another and get back to our regularly scheduled programming.”
He gives me a crooked smile. “What if our regularly scheduled programming gets new channels?”
