Page 37 of Off Limits

He kisses the top of my head before sliding out from under me. Bending down, he pulls on his boxers, walking over to his dresser and pulling out a pair of pants and a shirt. He rifles through his bag to pull out another pair of pants.

“So, I’m going to make a recommendation.” Somewhat clumsily, he yanks his pants on, coming over to sit next to me on the bed. “I think you should wear just this”—he hands me a shirt—“and keep the pants on the floor for the morning. I mean, it’s just my suggestion.”

“I think it’s one I can get on board with.”

I scramble to my knees, pulling the shirt over my head. “How do I look?”

He tackles me down to the pillows, holding my hands down under his. “Very sexy.” His mouth is on my neck, giving a tiny nip before he rolls to his side.

I turn my back to him, snuggling down for sleep as he ropes his arm around me, pulling me tight against him. Kissing the top of my ear, he whispers, "Good night, baby girl. I love you.”

"I love you too, Lochlyn.” The words I’ve always wanted to say and never thought I’d be able to are finally a reality. I fall asleep the only way I want to for my birthday, wrapped up in Lochlyn.

Chapter 8

Lochlyn’sbirthdayistwoweeks after mine, a few days after Valentine’s Day. He’s turning twenty-one, and I’m somewhat heartbroken we can’t spend it together.

“Come visit me,” he suggests during one of our nightly phone calls.

“I can’t.” I twist my fingers into my bedspread as disappointment floods through me like a tidal wave.

“Why not?” It’s a good question. There really isn’t any reason.

“You know, I don’t know. I guess I can. What do I tell Chelsea?” Hope starts to lighten the load that weighs me down daily.

“Tell her you’re going away withJohnfor Valentine’s Day.”

A small laugh escapes before I can stop it. He’s not fond of the name John. I’ve had to assure him more than once it was just the first name to blurt out of my mouth.

“TheJohnshe still hasn’t met?”

“Yeah, I’m not sure how much longer you’ll be able to keep that going.”

“I kind of have a plan. I was thinking of saying he transferred into a four-year school. Something like that. I don’t know. I hate this.”

“There are only two alternatives, Shay.” We’ve had this discussion a lot. The only alternative is to tell her, which is Lochlyn’s vote, but I have on good authority that it will not go well. The other is for us to break up, which neither of us sees as a valid option.

“I’ll figure something out. I just want to be with you on your birthday.”

“Okay. But I want you staying the whole weekend. I don’t want you driving eight hours in two days.”

“You did it for me.”

“I know. And I know how hard it is. If you haven’t noticed, I’m very protective of you. Plus, I want you here longer. One night wasn’t enough.” No, one night certainly wasn’t enough.

“Okay. I’m not sure what to tell my mom. Though I don’t even know if she’ll notice if I’m not around.”

“She’ll notice, Shay. It may not seem like it, but I’m sure she misses you.”

“Maybe. I don’t know. Tell me about your day.”

We spend the rest of our hour-long phone call talking about our days, how much we miss each other. We work out the logistics of my trip up to see him. His actual birthday is on Wednesday. I want to go up on that day, but he doesn’t want either of us missing classes and wants me to stay as long as possible.

The next day, I decide to broach the subject with Mom.

“Hey, Mom. I was thinking of taking a weekend trip around Valentine’s Day, if that’s okay with you?” I start the conversation gently while having a snack in the office of the store.

“Where are you going?” Mom’s eyes stay on her paperwork, pen hovering in the air.

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