Ruining me as I’m completely willing to chuck my no-dating rule out the door.
Blending her and me—
Achoo!
We startle, at once pulling apart, our gazes slamming to the giant bush next to us. “Did that bush just sneeze?” I choke out, barely able to make audible words as my lips have completely gone numb from the tingles she left me with.
“Not the bush.” She jolts to her feet, wrapping her hand fast around my wrist and yanking me off the swing. “It’s . . . it’s thewild monkeys,and we have to get inside right away!” She pulls me forward at top speed, knocking over the glasses of wine, and I don’t have a chance to have a closer look.
After yanking open the door, she tugs me through it while pulling it shut behind us. We’re left tangled together, and Ifall back against the door, breathless. I don’t have a clue what happened but the living room’s dark now. Her parents have likely gone to their room. The only light is the flicker of the porch light coming in at an angle through the front picture window. The light shadows dance across her face, dusting gold tendrils across her flawless skin.
I’m doomed.
I drop my hand on her hip, drawing her to me, and I take my other hand, wrapping it into hers. My hand completely eclipses her petite palm, and I’m acutely aware of all the ways our skin brushes together between each finger.
I don’t know what we just escaped outside.
I don’t think I believe in that wild monkey story.
But wild monkey or not, I’m not letting her avoid what just happened. I lift her hand to my mouth, press my lips onto the top of her knuckle, and imprint a kiss before I repeat, “You just changed the whole thing.”
seventeen
Sophie
My lower jaw quivers as I crawl under my down comforter, hugging it tightly around my shoulders. My mind whirlwinds through all the emotions.
Confusion.
Sooo guilty, yet so swept off my feet.
Breathless.
More confused.
I honestly don’t know what happened!
I had a plan. It was strategic. A quick, almost funny kiss that I could blame on the wine tomorrow.
The plan didn’t stick.
When our gazes synced, my emotionsemotioned hard, and I wasn’t pretending. Everything that happened in those three minutes on the porch was real—well, minus the wild monkeys, but how else was I going to explain a sneezing bush? Moses wouldn’t have believed it either.
Now, I'm wrecked.
I’m so conflicted because even though the kiss was genuine, the terms by which it started are sowrong.This is not a proper way to start a . . . thing? Whatever this is?
Do I tell him I had a little encouragement from Bill to kiss him?
Oh, no!I swipe a hand over my forehead, flushing at that idea.
I can’t tell him that!
But the money?
Yeah, I shake my head back and forth, even though no one can see it. There’s no way I’m taking the money. I’m so embarrassed I ever considered it.
But my tour crew won’t get a bonus.
