“Clearly.”
My eyes roved over him, taking in everything that made him so attractive. His mischievous smile, his tall and lean body. No wonder Denise Perkins wanted a piece of this. “Did you ever call Denise?”
Clay’s shoulders sank. “Our minds are clearly in different places right now. No, I didn’t call her, but only because she called me first. I told her I was sorry, but I started seeing someone. And then she pinned me down on dates and times until I either had to admit it was you or pretend it was an old crush who finally gave me the time of day. Technically, both of those are true.”
“So, you told her it was me?”
“Heck no. You’d gain a stalker. Plus, word would get back to Melissa.”
“True. I hadn’t thought about that.” I wondered what Melissa would think of the two of us together. She’d probably be mad she hadn’t thought of it first.
“How is Jenny?” Clay asked, sliding across the bench seat and invading my space. I shivered in anticipation as he leaned in, his deep grey-blue eyes staring into mine. His lips were so close, yet not close enough. “Lauren?”
“What?” I ran my hand over his biceps. Why weren’t we kissing yet?
“How’s your roommate? Was she okay?”
Oh, right. He’d asked me a question. I smoothed the front of his shirt as if ridding it of the imaginary wrinkles I’d placed there when I’d grabbed it inside my short-lived fantasy. “She’s fine. Jenny’s not one to let anything get her down for long. Besides, she’s been shipping the two of us since the day you showed up to drive me to work when my truck was acting up. She practically shooed me back out the door just now.”
“Shipping?”
“Yeah, like when you want two people to get together because you sense something the two of them don’t see, you ship them. Relationship.” My hands went back to his biceps under the hems of his short-sleeved tee. His muscles were smooth and warm. Way nicer than the leather of my steering wheel.Sorry, truck.Still love you.
I leaned in and kissed one of his biceps and then immediately felt really stupid. It was like my brain had short circuited and my lips had been put in charge of decision-making. I laughed nervously. “I don’t know why I did that I—”
Clay’s mouth closed on mine. “Don’t.” Another kiss. “Worry.” More kissing. “About it.”
Kissing him was like the sun warming my back on a winter day, like hitting the gas pedal on a long empty stretch of freeway. I wrapped my arms around his back and held on.
Eventually, though, we were abruptly reminded that we were in an apartment complex parking lot. We both turned and looked through the driver’s side window to see the guy who had pulled into the spot next to us. Staring. Smiling. I wanted to swing open my driver door and dent his car, but I wisely refrained. Clay and I really did need to pick better places to make out.
“To my grandparents’ house,” Clay said with a groan, slowly letting me go. He stayed in the middle seat as I put the truck into drive. I liked his thigh right up next to mine, which I knew was no accident on his part. I think we both needed the continual physical contact, a promise we were in this for real, and neither of us would back out.
“We don’t have to go to your grandparents if you don’t want to. Like you said earlier, today’s just about spending as much time together as possible before…” I paused.
“Before your dad gets back.” He finished my sentence of dread.
“He wants Parker and I to sign something saying we won’t date employees once we’re part owners.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, but I’m not going to do that.”
“It makes sense in a way.”
“No. Don’t even defend it.” I gripped his knee. “I know I’ve sent you mixed, panicked signals, but it’s because I’ve been getting used to the idea of us, not because I don’t want it. I’m actually a little scared of how much I want it.” I took in a deep breath and blew it out. In every previous relationship, I’d avoided big feelings, and especially, admitting to having them. Denver had told me I was hard to read. I would go further and say I was hard to reach.
Clay nudged my shoulder. “I’m here for whatever kind of signals you want to send, baby.”
“That’s the worst pickup line I’ve ever heard.” But l was secretly grateful for it. He knew me well enough not to push too hard. I needed time to think. If Clay was what I’d wanted all along, why was I still locked in my protective shell, afraid to open up to him? Was it just habit?
No. I looked over at him, sitting in the middle seat while I drove, which some guys would have considered emasculating. Clay wasn’t just some guy. He wastheguy. Mine. I wanted him for keeps. And that was scary. Everything went back to my fear. Before, I’d been cautious, maybe even callous. But now, I was terrified of how much I liked him and what upheaval it would cause to both our lives to pursue this.
“So, where am I going?”
“To my grandparents. Unless you want to die. Once you tell them you’re coming, you show up, or else.”
“Well, if death is on the line, by all means, let’s go play some Scrabble.”
