Page 73 of For You & No One Else (Say Everything 3)

But for some reason, a little snap of hesitation went through her at the thought.

Beck.

She didn’t know why he came into her head in that moment, but he did, and it threw her off.No. Stop that.

She couldn’t feel guilty about Beckham. They weren’t dating. She was supposed to be exploring things with other guys. That was the whole point of this. And the only way to test the chemistry with Will was to see how she felt if things got a little physical.

Will’s hand went up, gently cupped the side of her neck, and he dipped down. His lips touched hers, a gentle press, one that left the option for more, but she found herself pulling away before it could go any further.

She rolled her lips together and glanced up, feeling uncharacteristically shy. “Thanks for a nice night.”

Will smiled, seemingly unperturbed by her abrupt end to the kiss. “Me too. We should do it again.”

“I’d like that,” she said, meaning it, but also feeling a little off-kilter. Even though she believed in a woman’s right to date around, to sleep with whomever she wanted, to not owe any guy any explanation about it if there was no commitment, she realized she’d never actually juggled multiple guys. Even when she wasn’t in an official relationship, she’d always been a serial monogamist.

Her father had told her when she was young that her laser-like ability to focus on a goal was her superpower. But now she realized it’d also been how she’d handled her dating life. Singularly focused.

Right now it felt like the opposite of a superpower. It felt like a fatal flaw.

“I’ll give you a call, okay?” Will said, stepping back and holding her door open.

“Sounds great.” She lowered herself into her car. “Drive safe.”

“You too.” Will shut the door when she was safely inside. He headed off to his SUV and gave her a wave as he pulled out of the garage and drove off. Once he was out of sight, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. Why did she feel so damn exhausted? It was just a date. Agooddate, at that. Shouldn’t she feel energized? Hopeful?

She didn’t know how long she’d been sitting there when a light knock on her window had her jumping. She yelped, her eyes flying open, and on autopilot, grabbed for her purse where she kept her pepper spray. But when she turned her head, she let out a breath. Beckham was peering in with an apologetic look on his face.

“Sorry,” he mouthed.

She put her hand to her chest. “Jesus.” She grabbed the door handle and opened the door. “What the hell, man? You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry about that.” He hiked his backpack higher on his shoulder. “I just thought I’d point out that dark parking garages late at night aren’t the safest places for naps.”

She swung her legs out, facing him. “I wasn’t napping. I’ve only been here for…a few minutes. I was about to leave.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Just a little tired.” She adjusted the neckline of her top, the off-the-shoulder part getting a little too close to an off-the-body top.

He braced a hand on her car door, and his gaze swept over her as if checking to see if she was really okay. “How was the date?”

“Great!” she said quickly, her voice full of forced cheerleader pep.Ready? O-kay! Date was great! Boy, it’s late!“Will’s nice.”

He nodded. “I know.”

“He kissed me,” she blurted out and then inwardly cringed.Shut up.

Beckham glanced away, eyes narrowing like he was looking at something in the distance. “I saw.”

“Yousaw?” Heat filled her cheeks. “Stalk much?”

“Pure chance. I worked late and was about to head home.” He looked back to her. “I’m glad y’all had a good time.”

She stared up at him, something feeling off. The normal spark in his eyes wasn’t there. No mischief, no smugness, not even a hint of pretentiousness. He just looked…flat. “Hey, areyouokay?”

“Me?” He frowned. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired and a lot hungry. Got too caught up in a project and forgot to eat.”

The words made sense, but her spidey sense didn’t buy it. She’d been a therapist long enough to spot a dodge when she saw it. “Want to grab something at that late-night burger bar down the street?”

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