Page 24 of Off Limits

“Let’s just spend the day together. See where it takes us.”

My brow furrows. “You don’t want to, we’re not going to—” I can barely say the wordsex, though we’ve had it every day since New Year’s.

“Oh no, I do, and we will. But there’s no rush. There’s more here than sex, Shay.” He looks lovingly into my eyes as he swoops some curls behind my ear. “So much more.”

Taking off his coat, he slings it over the back of an armchair, leaving his shoes by the door and flopping onto the couch. He holds his arms out to me, and I walk over, leaning into his embrace. I’m okay if he just holds me for a while. It will give me time to memorize his scent, the rhythm of his heart, the heat of his body seeping into mine. All things I’m going to miss once he’s gone.

Lochlyn’s gone off to college before; he’s been gone for two and a half years, but he wasn’t mine then. But then, I wonder if he’s even mine now. Absentmindedly, I start picking at his shirt.

“What’s wrong, baby girl?” My stomach flutters every time he calls me that.

Mindlessly, I lift one shoulder. “Nothing.”

He puts his hand over mine, stilling it. “If nothing’s wrong, you wouldn’t be fidgeting.”

Sighing, I push myself up to look at him, but I can’t meet his eye. My fingers wiggle under his grasp, too much running through my head to calm them. “Why did you kiss me?”

“What?”

“Over Thanksgiving break. Why did you kiss me?” I look up at him. His brow is furrowed, a mask of confusion in his eyes.

“Because I wanted to. I told you, I’d wanted to do that for a long time.”

“But was it, like, some sort of challenge for you or something? You had to nail your sister’s best friend?”

He straightens up, taking my hands in his. “Not even a little. The only reason I didn’t try to be with you sooner wasbecauseyou’re Chelsea’s best friend.”

“Why now?”

“I got tired of delaying my happiness.”

“I make you happy?” My head cocks to the side as I ask.

He looks shocked, even a little hurt. “Extremely. You don’t see that?”

I shake my head.

He cups my cheek. “You make me extremely happy, baby girl.”

“How did you know that I would?”

“I guess, I didn’t know. I just had a very strong feeling you would. I’m glad I was right.”

“Why?”

He knows me well enough that I don’t need to elaborate. “Shay, look at me and listen.”

I lift my gaze from my lap and sheepishly meet his.

“You are beautiful, sexy, and smart. You’re funny and have good taste in music. You’re a devoted and loyal friend, and I know it’s eating you up inside keeping our secret from Chelsea. You love with your whole heart. You know more about household supplies and products than any girl your age should, including how to run a store. And you read more than anybody I know, you always have.

“You’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met. You not only put hours and hours into the store on top of school, while still maintaining good enough grades to get into Cornell, might I add, but you also spent all that time with your dad. You put your whole life on hold to be there for your mom after he died. And I know you well enough to know that you’re going to say that anybody would do that. But it’s just not true. Your own sister isn’t even around. It all fell to you, as a senior in high school.”

He brushes hair off my face, tucking it gently behind my ear and leaving his hand cupping my jaw. “You’re kind of incredible.” He says it quietly as he leans in to kiss me.

Incredible? He thinksI’mincredible? How is that possible?

I lean into his kiss, intensifying it by slipping my tongue into his mouth. His hands slide down to my hips, pulling me onto his lap. His grip tightens as he digs his thumbs into the bone, then pulls me across his lap, his lips hungry against mine.

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