smoothing her hair. That’s when I realize her hand is shaking.
“You don’t have to be nervous,” I say. “You know everyone.”
“I’m not. I’m fine.” She crosses her arms, tucking her hands out of sight.
I pull her hands apart and hug her. She lets me, pressing her cheek against my chest. I rest a hand on her head, holding her to me, and don’t say a word. Something’s bothering her, and I don’t even know what question to ask that won’t get a quick denial. She keeps her cards close to her chest.
Finally, she speaks quietly, “Us crossing the line is a lot for me. I’m afraid I’m going to lose what we have, our close friendship. I’m afraid it was a big mistake.”
“It was inevitable.” I kiss her hair. “And I’ll always be your friend.”
She looks up at me, doubt mixing with hope in her expression. “I’m not great with emotional stuff. I know Michael filled you in—”
“He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He was pissed and lashing out because you don’t have deep feelings for him.”
She looks away. “There’s some truth to it.”
It feels like she’s warning me away, making sure I don’t expect too much from her. Two can play at that game. “Yeah, well, I’ve never had a relationship before, so expect me to suck at it.”
Her eyes search mine. “We officially have a relationship? Just because we…hooked up?”
“No, because we already did have a relationship. Now we just have a physical expression of it.”
A small smile curves her sexy lips. “You sound so…”
“Awesome.”
“Knowledgeable and mature—”
“How dare you call me mature.” I give her my back and take a knee. “Climb on.”
“You want me to climb on your back like a horse?”
I laugh. “Ride ’em, cowgirl. I know how you operate.” I’m referring to sex, of course. Her in reverse cowgirl was a lot of fun in round two.
“You put me in that position.”
“And you fucking loved it.” I gesture her on. “Time’s a-wasting.”
She climbs on gingerly, like she’s never had a piggyback ride. I give her a boost when I stand, making sure she’s secure. She yelps at the sudden movement.
I swat her ass. “Settle down back there. We’ve got places to go.”
She rests her chin on my shoulder and smiles widely. “And we would’ve been there already if you hadn’t insisted on more sex.”
I head for the door. “Can you blame me? It’s been torture with your sexy self so close yet so far.”
“Wait! My purse is on the coffee table.”
I gallop back for it, and she laughs, a deep belly laugh I’ve never heard from her. I love that I brought that out. She deserves to have many happy laugh-out-loud moments in her life. I lean sideways, snag her small purse by the strap, and hand it to her. Then we head out the door.
“Whoa, horsie,” she says when we reach the end of the hallway. “Not the stairs.”
I set her down and give her a quick kiss. “Time to face the Rourkes.” I head downstairs, and she keeps up.
At the bottom of the stairs, she swats my ass and hurries out the door. My serious studious girlfriend is playing with me.
I catch up with her outside. She beams, backing away, hoping I’ll chase her. I fake a lunge, and she squeaks, turns tail, and runs. I hunt her down easily, wrap my arms around her, and swing her back around. She wiggles in my arms.
“Wrong direction,” I say.
“Maybe I was just trying to get away from you.”
I bite her earlobe and growl, “No chance.”
She shivers before relaxing completely against me. Oh, yeah, this one is mine.
15
Chloe
I’m in unknown territory with Brendan, feeling too much too fast. We’re almost at his parents’ house, and the euphoric feeling from earlier has faded into raw terrifying vulnerability. My chest is tight, making it hard to get a deep breath. I need to get myself back under control. I mean, who’s to say we even have a future? We’re in two different places in our lives. He’s settled into a career, and I’m just at the start of my journey, which is a long one. I don’t know why I hadn’t considered this major problem before. It’s not as simple as figuring out if we’re right for each other. Emotions have clogged all the logical pathways of my brain. I need to focus on my big plan. I have a plan, years in the making, and it didn’t include him. I always saw myself alone.
He takes