“Bored, huh?”
I shrug, yawning. “He was in an endless cycle of not catching up with his re-potting, so I thought I’d help out.”
“Cool. That what you’ve been up to the last few days?”
No. I’ve been avoiding you.
Those words don’t leave my mouth, obviously. There’s a chance that I bite my tongue for a minute, so a dirty confession doesn’t fall from my lips. “No,” I say, after a while. “I’ve been home. Entertaining myself with stories.”
He nods. I yawn again, and Nason throws a marshmallow at me. “Go to bed. It’s apparently past your bedtime, old man.”
I snort. “Too much fresh air, obviously.”
“Uh-huh. See you tomorrow.”
I raise my hand as I head back to my house. This time, I shut the back door too. The house is dark as I make my way to my bedroom, but pause when I come to the front door where the flower is. I lean my head against the door and close my eyes. It shouldn’t be so hard not to say something to Nason, but until now, I’ve never intentionally kept a secret from him. He knowseverythingabout me.
Every kid lies to their parents and schoolmates. Little white lies. Lies so you can stay out later or go to an R-rated movie. Lies that don’t hurt anyone.
I’ve probably lied to most people in my life at some point. Stupid little things, even when it’s something as dumb as saying ‘I’m fine’ when I’m sick. But I’ve never lied to Nason. This isn’t the kind of lie where I’m actively telling him falsehoods. It’s a lie by omission.
Which might be worse. Keeping words in that want to spill out is more difficult than one might think. I don’t want him to know because it’s his kid. Clearly. But I want him to know how this person makes me feel. Alive. Excited. Obsessed.
I fear that too many questions from him would lead to him knowing who I was talking about by my answers, though. Therefore, the entire thing needs to be kept to myself. As if it never happened.
A knock on my front door has me sighing. It’s dark out and the front light is off, so I can only make out a vague shape through the frosted glass. I don’t need to see his face, though. I know who it is. I have the shape memorized.
Flipping the lock, I pull the door open.
Elijah jumps into my arms and kisses me. I groan. Fuck, I didn’t think I’d get to taste him today.
I stumble backward, my hands hiking his feet off the ground by gripping his luscious ass. I swallow the sexy sound he makes.
The kiss isn’t long. Just a quick, hot taste before he backs away. Elijah flashes me a smile and starts to turn. I grab his arm and reach for the flower I have hanging by the door that I’d been saving for tomorrow.
His face lights up when I present it to him. My heart flutters at the look on his face. The shine in his eyes. “Thank you,” he whispers, as if we’ll be overheard. He kisses me again, short and hot, and then bounds into the darkness, disappearing into the shadows.
My front door can’t be seen from Nason’s house at all. Not unless someone is at the end of his front lawn. It’s set back within a little alcove, which I’m finding incredibly convenient at the moment.
I stare into the dark street for a minute before I back inside and close the door.
Chapter Nine
LIE
April
“Stop by later.”The guy who ordered four drinks slides a napkin with his room number across the bar toward me. I give him a playful smile and lean across the bar as if I want to get closer to him.
What I’m really doing is getting Laiken’s attention. These shorts seem to be his favorite, and I know he’ll be here in seconds.
Meanwhile, the guy trying to take me home leans toward me, so his face is close to mine. “I’m gonna make you feel so good, sexy,” he murmurs.
Hands on my upper arms haul me backward, and Laiken takes my position. He grabs the napkin, balls it up, and tosses it in the bin. “Is there anything else I can help you with?” he asks, voice clipped but polite.
The man looks between us. There’s no way he misses my smirk as I lazily wipe the back bar where the bottles of liquor are stored.
“No,” the man says. He looks at me again before disappearing into the crowd.
