“Noted.”
“But if we don’t qualify and you happen to hit him with your car, that’s not my concern.”
“Also noted.” He chuckles, leaning forward to kiss my forehead. I’m sure Brady is lurking somewhere judging me, too, but as I wrap my arms around him and let his calm wash over me, I can’t find it in me to care what she might think.
I mirror his deep breaths, instantly feeling less like I need to sob. “Thank you for waiting for me.”
“Can I make a suggestion about our plans?” he says carefully, tilting my face up to his. “I don’t wanna fuck with the planner, but I feel like the way you feel right now justifies some amendments.”
He’s being so careful with me, so gentle, like I might break. Leaning forward, he hovers an inch from my face, waiting for me to close the gap. “I’m not kissing you until I know the proposal.”
His smile is so beautiful it almost ends me, but I hang on in there, concentrating on putting air in and out of my lungs so I look like a normal human in front of this painfully attractive man.
“Instead of going to the mall, we get your favorite takeout and order a costume online. You can stay over because I bought loads of girly shit from Target on Saturday after I took you to work, and I think a bit of space from Aaron might be what you need right now.”
“You presumed you’d be able to convince another person to sleep with you?” I tease, instantly feeling lighter.
“You haven’t seen how good this stuff is. It makes Henry’s box look like amateur hour. You’ll be begging me to let you stay over.”
“It’s a well thought out plan, Hawkins.”
“It’s a great plan. I’ll even take you home in the morning for a change of clothes and take you to class. Might be my best plan yet.”
I close the gap, pressing my lips to his. It’s hard to remember we’re in public when his tongue rolls against mine. He breaks us apart. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
EIGHTEEN | NATHAN
We pulledup in front of my house three minutes ago, and so far, she’s made no attempt to get out of the car, so we’re sitting in a semi-comfortable silence.
Her hands are gripping the straps of her bag, she’s staring into the distance, and her body is visibly rigid. I know she’s lost in her head, overthinking, so I let her stew for a little while longer, not wanting to intrude.
Another few minutes pass and her lips are still pulled into a tight line, so I reach out and brush my fingers against her cheek lightly, clearing my throat to capture her attention. I curl a strand of her hair around my finger, and she turns her head to listen to me speak. “Do you want to play house?”
“Huh?” She sounds confused, which I can’t blame her for. Faint crease lines appear beside her eyes as she shoots me a funny look. “House?”
“Like what you played as a kid.”
Her frown slowly fades, the corners of her lips tug up slightly. “And what does playing house entail? We gonna pretend to be Mom and Dad to the guys?”
“We forget about the outside world until tomorrow. I mean, if JJ calls you Mommy, I will hurt him, but other than that. What do you call it when you’re catfishing? Positive vibes only.”
“I do not catfish people! Iama positive person,” she insists, lying to both of us. She huffs, crossing her arms defiantly, but she can’t keep it up and her pretend annoyed expression softens. “Have you always been so soft? You’re not at all like I expected.”
“Yep, just how my momma raised me. If I like you, I like you. I’m an all-or-nothing person, always have been.”
A tiny shred of panic rushes through me when I consider that she might take my words the wrong way after we’ve previously talked about what she’s looking for, but thankfully she laughs.
“I would have guessed with your status on campus that you’d have dicked half of Maple Hills by now. A captain title guarantees getting laid, right?”
“I have, and yeah, it kinda does.”
I’m not sure it’s the answer she’s expecting because her eyes widen, and she just looks at me. “Oh.”
“Are you slut-shaming me, Anastasia Allen? The queen of noncommitment?” Her jaw drops, and she begins spluttering to argue back, but I don’t give her a chance, enjoying seeing her speechless. “Hooking up with people and liking people is very different. If I like someone, I want to be around them and get to know them. It’s not often I want something more with someone, so when I do, I make them a priority”
“God, so clingy,” she grumbles, cheeks flushed red. Her hand reaches over to the door handle, the other secured around her bag. “Let’s go in the house before the kids start a riot.”