Fucking Earl better be fully across the damn road,my brain sighs.
“Of course, sweetie.”
“We’ll tell them I forgot my overnight bag and had to go get it.”
“I’ll never say otherwise.”
“I’m glad you had this place for us to go when the whole world turned on us,” she whispers.
“Me, too, baby. Me too.”
Chapter 27
Flint
I don’t get nervous around women.
Just don’t.
Have to care to get nervous, right?
But tonight, when I get the text from Maisey that June decided to go to the sleepover, after all, and I should feel free to stop by the house to discussthat thingwe need to talk about, every cell in my body goes into panic mode.
What if that wasn’t code and thereissomething we need to talk about?
What if I say something wrong before I get her naked?
What if I get her naked and then I can’t perform?
What if I can perform but I’m too fast?
What if I have to leave in the morning and still want to come back?
Moron,my dick scoffs.Of course you’re gonna want to go back. You have it bad in a way you’ve avoided having it bad for decades. She’s not a fling. She’s the woman you’ve waited for your whole life, and you need to take this leap or you will regret it to the end of time.
It’s annoying when my second head is the smarter of the two.
But I won’t let nerves stop me. Not when I’ve wanted a night to myself with Maisey for weeks.
Possibly months.
So an hour after her text, I’m standing at her doorstep. She hasn’t yet pulled down her Halloween decorations, so her covered porch is decorated with pumpkins and cornstalks and those funny cloth scarecrows. The light above me is glowing orange, like she changed it out for the season too.
I’m reaching for the doorbell when the door swings open.
And there she is.
Maisey, with her short hair tucked behind her ears, her eyes cautious but hopeful, biting her lip. She’s in an oversize Hell’s Bells High sweatshirt and black leggings. No makeup. Bare feet. “You’re early,” she blurts.
“Sorry.” My voice is raspy, so I clear my throat and try again. “Didn’t know you wanted me to wait.”
“I was going to ...” She trails off, then jerks a hand up and down, gesturing to her body like there’s something wrong with it.
“Don’t let me stop you. But can I watch?”
Her eyes flare wide for half a second before she grabs me by the lapels of my open coat and hauls me inside.
And then Maisey’s kissing me.
