Page 95 of When We Were Reckless
“No, I…” Jesse’s girlfriend had cheated on him, so of course, he’d be worried about something like that happening again. Not that I was his girlfriend, but regardless, I would never do that. I could barely handle one guy, let alone two.
“I’d never do something like that. I’d never cheat on you. Not that this is a relationship, but I wouldn’t be with someone else.”Not for as long as I have you.
Now that we’d gotten that out of the way, it was my turn. “Why did you agree to go along with Mason’s plan to keep me in Texas?”
“I wanted to hang out with you,” he said simply. “And it seemed like a guilt-free way to do it.”
I wanted to hang out with you.That was before we even struck our deal. His words put a happy smile on my face. That must be the reason he kept showing up to work. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to hang out with me. Maybe he wanted to spend time with me just as much as I wanted to spend time with him. Not just for sex, although that was great, but just being in each other’s space. Watching each other. Joking around. Sharing stolen glances. It was the very best kind of foreplay.
I was so focused on his initial response that it took a moment to register the rest of his words.
“You feel guilty?”
“Let me talk to Mason.”
I sat up straighter. “Are you insane? No. No way.”
He let out an exasperated breath. “It’s better to be honest than to keep lying to him.”
“We’re not lying. We’re just not telling him something that is none of his business. I’m his sister. It’s not like I’m his girlfriend and I’m cheating on him. Besides, what would you tell him? Your sister and I have a deal. I’m fucking her—”
“Don’t use that word.”
“You say it all the time.”
“I’m a guy. And I’m crude.”
I rolled my eyes. Talk about a double standard. But that wasn’t my main concern right now. “You can’t tell him, okay? I mean… we’re just hooking up. So when it’s time for you to leave, it’s over, right?”
“Right.”
My shoulders slumped in disappointment. But what had I expected? That he’d deny it. That he’d tell me it’s so much more than hooking up, and it didn’t have to end when he went to California.
Jesse was quiet for a moment, and I thought he was still thinking about Mason. I listened to the rain falling wherever he was standing, and I held my breath, waiting for him to speak. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that he wanted to end it. Maybe he’d tell me that it would be so much easier to find someone else to hook up with. A girl who was old enough to drink. A girl who didn’t have to sneak around and keep him a secret from her overprotective family. A girl who wasn’t his best friend’s sister.
“Quinn.”
“Yes?”
“Next time you get caught in a heavy downpour, pull over on the shoulder and turn on your hazards.”
My brow furrowed, my brain scrambling to catch up with the sudden change of subject. “What?”
“You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack.”
“What are you talking about?”
“When you hydroplaned… you nearly gave me a fucking heart attack.” He exhaled loudly like I was testing his limited patience. “Which part of that didn’t you understand?”
“But you were ahead of me. How… what…"
“I doubled back to make sure you were okay. Then, I followed you all the way home.”
“You did? But why would you do that?” I hadn’t even seen him. But I hadn’t been able to see much of anything.
“Why do you think? Because I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Oh.”
