Cheesy on the Eyes by Teagan Hunter Page 0,46

do at the shop.”

Her words aren’t harsh or clipped, but there’s a distantness in them that wasn’t there before.

I pinch my brows together, watching as she shoves the blanket back into her bag.

“Hey, Thea?”

“Yeah?”

“Is everything okay?”

She looks up at me, and for the briefest of moments, I see it—fear.

The kiss scared her.

She pastes on that same fake smile she did for her brother and says, “Yep. Why wouldn’t it be?” She rises to her full height. “Come on. I want to stop at Daisy’s on the way back. I could really use another coffee.”

She brushes past me, heading for the truck.

She’s not the only one worried about what that kiss might have done.

Slice Eleven

Thea

Fine, I admit it—I’m avoiding Sully.

I haven’t shown up to his boat in days. I’m not mad at him for what happened on the beach, though…quite the opposite.

I’ve always prided myself on my willpower, have always been able to find ways to keep myself under control and away from the things I want that I know are bad for me. Take my whole thing with working at Slice, for example.

As such, I’m extra pissed at myself for not being able to control my urges and for kissing Sully, breaking one of our rules.

I’m not hiding because I’m embarrassed, but I am avoiding him because it’s the only thing I can think of to do to keep myself from giving in.

I know if I spend my nights working next to him, I’ll kiss him again, and if I kiss him again, I won’t want to stop. It’s not just because of the way his lips felt beneath mine, like it was right where they were meant to be, but also because of the way he makes me feel.

Like I want to leap into the unknown all over again.

With him.

I can’t allow my heart to get caught up in that. The pain last time…it was like a thousand tiny incessant stabs to my chest that would flay me open, heal a bit, and then cut me all over again. It fucking sucked.

So, yeah, I’m a big chickenshit, running away from my problems and from the unknown, but it is what it is. I’ve done it for almost two years now. There’s a chance I’ve missed out on some great things, but I also missed out on a hell of a lot of heartache, and I’d rather feel lonely from time to time than deal with that pain ever again.

If I have to hide to avoid jumping Sully’s bones, I’ll hide.

“All right, peanut, I’m heading out.”

“Dad,” I hiss, lifting myself out from underneath the hood of the car I’m working on. “I told you no calling me peanut at work.”

“I’m the owner—I can do what I want. Besides, it’s after hours. This doesn’t count as working.”

I open my mouth to argue but think better of it. It’s a futile effort. Besides, I’m not up to arguing right now. I’m usually all snark and sass, trading barbs, but lately I’m just…blah.

“Okay, that’s the third time today you’ve bitten back a sarcastic retort.” He leans against the doorjamb. “What gives?”

“Nothing.”

“Althea Jane Schwartz.”

Sighing at his use of my full name, I set my rag down and face him, leaning against the car. “I’m just…preoccupied.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Sure, Dad. I’d love to chat about how I kissed my fake boyfriend and now I can’t stop thinking about kissing him again.

“It’s complicated,” I say instead.

He shoves off the door, standing tall, chest puffed out. “That new boyfriend of yours we’ve only met once treating you okay?”

I roll my eyes. “Yes, Dad. Sully’s treating me well.”

And it’s the truth.

Sully does treat me well.

He’s patient, kind, and attentive. Though he says he can’t read me, in the short time we’ve known one another, he’s somehow come to understand me better than anyone else ever has.

He’s even helping me out when I know putting on a show and conning my family is slowly killing him because of his trauma with his father.

Yeah, Sully’s good to me. He’s too good to me.

It’s why I can’t get involved with him beyond the capacity I already have. I’m asking too much of him as it is. I can’t ask for anything else. It’s too big of a risk for us both. I need to step away, need to stop hanging out with him so much to make it easier for everyone when this charade is over.

“I just…I’m not ready to talk about it, but everything’s fine, okay? Can you trust