Lacey’s hands slide up my chest and wrap around my neck and I forget about eavesdropping. I drop my mouth to hers.
My hands are at her waist, but when she sweeps her tongue into my mouth, deepening the kiss, I let my fingers travel down until they slip beneath her puffy skirt.
Distantly I’m aware of Dad still moving around the house, but I’m no longer interested in anything outside of this closet.
She does her own exploring, pressing into me until I let out a groan. I don’t think there’s enough room in here to do exactly what I want, but I hook one finger around thelace of her panties and she lets out a shudder.
“I think he’s gone,” she says, panting quietly.
“What?” I ask, then pause and listen.
“Assuming this wasn’t your plan all along.” She gives me a wicked grin.
“It wasn’t, but we’ll come back to this. First, I want to show you something.” I open the door a crack. I didn’t hear Dad leave, but there aren’t any sounds coming from inside the house anymore.
“Wait.” Lacey stops in her tracks and our hands break apart. “Won’t he see your SUV outside?”
Well, fuck.
We both start laughing and two seconds later a text notification chimes on my phone.
Dad: Everything okay? I just saw your SUV’s at the house.
I turn the screen around to show her, then tap out a reply to let him know we’re just stopping by for a few minutes before going to Boone’s house.
“What are we doing here?” she asks again after I’ve pocketed my phone.
“You’ll see.” I take her hand and lead her down the hall to my room.
I push open the door, and she peers around me. The second her eyes land on the dog crate they go wide. Her mouth falls open, and she looks to me before dropping to her knees in front of the crate.
“Is that Pip?”
I nod.
“What is he doing here?”
“Dad and I adopted him this morning.” I cross the room and open his crate. I wouldn’t say he’s my biggest fan yet, but he’s warming up to me. I give him a little pet, but he bounds past me to Lacey.
“Traitor,” I mutter.
She sits down on the floor, and he climbs all over her, licking and pawing at her. Exactly what I want to be doing, if I’m honest.
“Easy, Pip.” I take a seat next to her and lift him off her lap, so he doesn’t ruin her dress or something. He side-eyes me but stays put sitting between us.
“This is a great surprise. Now we can walk our dogs together and take them to the dog park and make them little matching costumes on holidays—”
I cut her off with a kiss.
High School Bucket List
Make a high school memory box?
Go apple picking?
Get a piercing?
Watch the sunrise from the fifty-yard line on the football field
