Page 25 of Burn for You (Flirting with Forever 3)

I groan. No. No, it’s not. It’s all kinds of fucked up. “Yeah, just drying off my feet. Be right there.”

Prof.M. to Sherlock4Love: We don’t. Is it a chance you’re willing to take?

I shove my phone back into my pocket and quickly towel my feet dry before putting on fresh socks and shoes. There’s nothing to be done for my suit pants right now, but I roll them up out of the way. They’re half-ruined already, and I figure I may as well really mess them up. I look like an idiot, but at least I’m slightly warmer now.

I close the tailgate and circle to the driver’s side, hurrying into the vehicle. I can’t afford to think about Sherlock4Love when I have Piper at my side. That’s not fair to her.

When I get in, it’s nice and warm. Piper has cranked the heat, and I sigh with pleasure as I settle into my warmed seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I take her in. She looks so pretty in her fancy dress with her updo, but what really sells the whole image for me i

s that she hasn’t taken off my suit coat. I like that—more than I probably should.

From beside me, Piper fidgets her hands in front of her, twisting them together. “Your car is immaculate. Is it new?”

“No. It’s ten years old, actually.”

Her head turns to me and her face registers surprise. “What? How is that possible? It even smells new.”

“I take care of my things so I don’t have to replace them unnecessarily. It’s no big deal.” I pat the steering wheel. “And he’s been a great vehicle for my whole family. Everyone fits.”

“So, that’s three sisters …?”

“And my mom.”

She angles her body closer to me. “And your dad?”

I haven’t shared this with her before. Hell, I don’t talk to anyone about it.

My gaze slides to the right, meeting her curious one. “We lost my dad ten years ago.” I hesitate before continuing. “Cancer.”

Her face falls. “Oh … I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” A line forms down the center of her forehead, and I swear I see her open her mouth three different times before anything comes out. “How old were you?”

“Nineteen.” I clear my throat. “Old enough to take care of my family.” I nod to myself. “Dad would have wanted me to.”

She nibbles on her lip and I see all the gears in that perfectly quick brain of hers grinding away. “So, Elena was seven?”

My lips pull into a tight line. “Yes.”

“You’ve helped raise her, then. Your other sisters, too, I’d wager.”

I shrug. “It’s no big deal. They are my life.” My heart pounds. I can’t handle any more of this vein of conversation. “How was the chocolate?”

Her eyes flare wide at the mention of the treat I’d left on her desk earlier this week. She hadn’t said a word about it after the fact, and I wondered if I’d embarrassed her further by giving it to her.

“It was delicious, thank you. I—” She grasps my hand across the center console and squeezes briefly before pulling hers away. “I should have said something.” She covers her mouth and to my surprise, a tiny little giggle-snort exits. “I had it with a whole bottle of merlot that night. Happy Valentine’s Day to me!” She shrugs her shoulders inside my coat. “It was appreciated.”

Our eyes lock across the center console. Her tongue darts out and wets her lower lip and her chest rises with her deep inhale. I want her to stay. I want to take her home. I want to do unspeakable things to her.

“I should go. I’ll text Sophia and tell them we had an emergency and had to leave. With six other chaperones, I should hope they can make do without us.”

So much for taking her home.

She slowly opens the door and steps out. “Go home and get those feet warm.”

She starts to shrug out of my coat, but I hold up my hand. “Just bring it to school on Monday.”

“Okay. Thanks again, Damon.” With a beaming smile that almost sets me off balance, almost has me forgetting that we are technically still adversaries, she shuts the door with a soft click and waves.

I roll the window down and call out to her as I’m backing out. “And our field trip is Wednesday?”

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