“You have to stop blaming yourself for last night,” I said. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“I just hate that Tucker tried something with you. It could have been so much worse.”
“But it wasn’t.” I reached out to touch his bruised cheekbone. “This was him.”
“Small price to pay.” Xander craned to kiss my lips, my chin, my nose, then pulled me closer.
“So we’re really doing this.” I traced a heart on his T-shirt with my finger. “I know you have doubts—”
“Not about how I feel for you, Emery. Only what’s coming at the end of the year.”
“I’m more worried that you’ll get bored with me.”
“Bored? Withyou?”
“Well, yeah,” I said with a small smile. “Youmighthave noticed that I’m not as smart as you.”
He heaved a long-suffering sigh. “Few people are.”
I snorted and gave him a nudge. “I’m being serious.”
“Emery, how could I ever be bored with you? You have more vitality than anyone I’ve ever met. I’m the one who should be worried. I’m always in my head, and you’re all heart.”
“Maybe that’s why we work,” I ventured. “Like yin and yang.”
“I thought we were entangled particles.”
I grinned. “I love that the most, but it’s harder to find a Hallmark card for it.”
He chuckled, then grew serious. “Whatever we are, I don’t want to mess it up.”
I moved to prop my chin on my hands, my hands on his chest. “Me neither. But it’s going to be hard. Because…God, I can’t even say it.”
“We need to keep us a secret.”
I nodded. “Not because of any bullshit peer pressure at school. But if word were to get back to my dad through Tucker or Delilah, he’ll make both our lives impossible.”
“He threatened as much the other day.” Xander brushed a lock of hair from my eyes. “I don’t want to ruin your shot at getting out of here.”
“You’re not ruining anything. You’re making everything better.”
I kissed him softly and then traced my finger along his chin. He loosely wrapped a lock of my hair around his finger, and for a few long moments, we stayed that way—me lying over his chest, each taking the other in with little touches, little looks. As if we were getting reacquainted after a long separation.
“Hey, I never congratulated you on your win at the regatta,” I said after a minute. “That must’ve been pretty exciting.”
“It was fine.”
“Only fine?”
“No racing victory is ever going to come close to how I feel right now.”
I buried my face in his neck. “My God, Xander, I can’t even with you.”
He chuckled and then a loudbangerupted from downstairs. We both shot to sitting.
“My dad,” he said almost apologetically and climbed out of bed. “He likes to cook breakfast…a lot.”
“What if he catches me here…?”
