Page 21 of The Fun Part
“I was coming back.”
“Were you?” He helps me put my coat on, which is completely unnecessary, but also weirdly nice.
I face him, determined to power through this little public encounter without giving away my longing, no, my lust for him.
He stands there, searching my expression.
I slide my hair out from under the collar of my coat. “What?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just needed some fresh air. It was stifling in there.”
“I was comfortable.”
“Okay, well, I’ll see you in there.”
“I’ll walk back with you.”
It would probably look bad if I sprint ahead of him. We start the walk back.
“You want to get a drink sometime?” he asks.
I swallow hard. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?”
“Because.”Because you’re on the rebound. Because I can’t bear the heartbreak. Because Mom is secretly trying to manage my love life. I’m almost sure of it.
“Because why?”
I stop and look at him in the moonlight—his sincere eyes, the familiar bearded line of his jaw, the soft tumble of hair. It’s hard to remember why any of the rules matter. “This was supposed to be a onetime thing.”
“It was a six-time thing. Well, I guess it depends what you mean by thing. Technically—”
“Let’s just go.”
“I miss your face.”
I stare at him blankly. “You miss my face?”
He gestures around my face, close but not touching. “Like the curve of your cheek when you smile, the way your eyes sort of light up, the way your lips part when you’re surprised, like now.”
“Cal, as poetic as that is, I think you’ve mistaken me for a romantic. I’m not. That’s why rules and boundaries work for me. Flowers and nice words not so much.”
He leans close, bringing a hot rush of desire that nearly makes me grab him. “Is that so?”
“Yes and…” My voice isn’t entirely steady. “We had our fun. That part’s over.”
He dips his head to speak in a gravelly voice near my ear. “The fun part’s just beginning.”
A hot shiver races down my spine. “Cal.”
He shifts, his warm breath a caress on my lips. “Kiss me and tell me you feel nothing.”
I grip his coat lapel, not sure if I’m going to shove him away or pull him closer.
He stares at my mouth. My stomach dips, all of my lady parts zinging to life. I know how good this would feel.
