and made me hold her hand at recess.”
I arch a brow, amused. “That skank. How dare she!”
“I broke it off during the second recess.”
Chuckling, I wrap my arms around his neck as I straddle his lap. “So what makes you think you know how to be a boyfriend?”
“Is that what I am?”
“I don’t know. Do you wanna be?”
He blinks hard. “You have me going in circles here.”
We both laugh, and I blush at the direction this conversation is going.
“What if I said I’ve considered it?” I shyly admit.
“I’d say…is it too early to propose?”
I throw my head back with a groan. “How can you just throw those kinds of lines out when you’ve never had a girlfriend before? Aren’t you like, terrified of commitment and shit?”
“Nope,” he says immediately and with certainty.
“You’re strange.” I lean in closer. “You’ve pushed my buttons for as long as I can remember, and then you’d hook up with my friends.” I pop a brow, waiting to hear how he explains himself.
“You—” He punches the word, gripping my hips tighter. “Wouldn’t give me the time of day.”
“That’s your excuse?”
“If memory serves me right, and I’m sure that it does, you weren’t so nice to me either. Even when I was nothing but sweet to you.” He tilts his head, daring me to argue, but he’s right. We’ve been going back and forth for years.
“You’re obnoxious sometimes!” I admit, chuckling, then biting my lip. “I could never take you seriously, and you liked making me uncomfortable. Or like last month…” I throw up my hand. “You went through my boxes and brought up my red thongs in front of my brother!”
His head falls back with loud laughter, and I swat his chest.
“See!”
“Alright, so I’m not the subtle type.” He shrugs unapologetically. “Most chicks dig that, by the way. In fact, a lot of girls in high school always commented on how much attention I gave you, but you wouldn’t have any of it. Instead, you found ways to get rid of me.”
Rolling my eyes, I shake my head. “Not true. You’re so full of shit.”
“Right. So me going out of my way to do things for you was for what? Shits and giggles? Boredom? It’s not like I had any motive to be nice to you unless I wanted to be.”
His words hit me hard as I think back to all the ways he did do things for me during middle and high school. “I thought it was because Riley told you to,” I admit. “Or you had some best friend’s sister code.”
“The only rule he had was not to touch you, so…”
“So I was the shiny forbidden toy that made you want it even more?” I mock.
“If you mean the smart-mouthed, sassy pain in the ass, then yes.” He wraps an around my waist and hoists me up higher until I feel his erection between my legs. “You gonna be my girl, or do I need to get a plane to spell it out in the sky?”
I arch a brow, confused.
“You’re not as subtle as you think you are, Rowan Bishop. I knew exactly where this conversation was going, and if you need to throw a bunch of questions at me to make sure I’m ready to be in a relationship with you, then go ahead because I’ve been waiting years for this. I’m not gonna be the dumbass who lets the girl of his dreams slip through his fingers.”
My breathing quickens at his unexpected confession, but it’s one I’ll replay in my head over and over again. Adam Hayes officially has my heart.
“Okay,” I whisper, then bite my lip. For whatever reason, my nerves are shot, and I can feel my cheeks heating.
“Okay what?”
“You’re gonna make me say it, aren’t you?”
The smirk on his face tells me his answer.
“I’m gonna need to hear you say it just so there’s nothing lost in translation,” he states, clearly loving how nervous I am. I rock my hips against him, and he groans. “Better stop that.”
“Or what?”
“Or you better be prepared to finish what you start, sweetheart.”
My eyes lower down his sculpted body. He’s large, and I feel small next to him. Everything on him screams man—his large hands, long legs, and toned arms.
“You’re the one who pulled me onto your lap,” I remind him.
I screech when he shoots off the couch and lays me down on my back, then towers over me. “Answer my question, Row. Are you mine?”
Licking my lips, I nod. “Yes, I’m yours.”
He