Emotion thickens my throat, but I manage a quick nod. “Promise. And I appreciate the research, Dr. Knox.” I squeeze his hand, teasing just enough to keep the air light. “But don’t think you get to boss me around for the rest of the summer.”
His smile curves, that mix of sweet and sinful that always makes heat take flight in my belly.
I hold his gaze, heart squeezing just a little, and slowly let my hand slide down his chest, casual but not entirely innocent. “This’ll be a first for us. In this bed. No sex.” His breath hitches slightly, and that tiny crack in his control tugs a grin out of me. “Kind of uncharted territory, don’t you think?”
“Oh, but we can still make out.” He nudges my nose with his, close enough to kiss but holding back. Barely. “I could kiss you all night. Makes me feel like we’re in high school.”
I chuckle. “Except I didn’t make out in high school. Nerd, remember?”
“If you say so. Though I can’t imagine you ever being a nerd. Me, on the other hand…glasses, braces, pocket protector. Classic nerd. I’m surprised I had any girlfriends.”
“Please. Girls who date nerds are smart. Nerds always turn out to be hot when they grow older.”
Knox lifts a brow, eyes sparkling. “Oh? So you think I’m hot?”
Before I can answer, his hand slides under the covers, palm curving around my hip, fingertips squeezing just enough to make me nudge closer on instinct.
I smirk. “I haven’t made that obvious?”
He leans in slowly, the space between us disappearing one heartbeat at a time.
“Maybe,” he rasps. “But I’m a nerd, and sometimes I need things spelled out.”
I tilt my head, pretending to think. “I thought nerds were smart.”
“Not girl-smart,” he quips, his mouth finding mine, patient, showing me he knows we can’t go beyond this kiss.
Not tonight, anyway.
And that’s how we spend the next who-knows-how-long, kissing, touching, making out in what feels like slow motion.
Each brush of our mouths and graze of our hands feels unrushed, as if we’re both relearning the ache of restraint—which is almost worse than giving in.
I swear, when this man holds me close but not too tight, his fingers pausing on my hip, I can’t help but wonder if it’s his way of reminding himself,and me, where the line is.
Either way, my body aches in a deep, low way that isn’t about need so much as wanting something I can’t have. And I don’t know if it’s the hospital or the bath or the quiet of this night without the kittens. But every time our mouths part and he presses his forehead to mine, it feels like I could fall asleep with my heart wide open.
As our make-out session winds down, Knox pulls back, studying me. “Need anything? I can grab you water and an electrolyte packet.”
I shake my head, catching my breath. “I’m fine.”
His brow shoots up, skepticism written all over his face.
“I promise,” I add, my smile tentative.
We lie, face to face, close and still, lips swollen from too much kissing.
“But also, I’m not sleepy yet,” I hum.
Knox’s mouth curves, his tone playful. “Okay, let’s stay up and talk till our mouths and ears fall off.”
I scoot closer, fingers tracing the curve of his chest like I’m still mapping him into memory. “How many girlfriends did Nerdy Knox have in high school?”
“Nerdy Knox?” He laughs, the sound warm and a little self-deprecating. “Not many. But I did lose my virginity at a school dance.”
I gasp in shock. “Like atProm?”
He laughs again, shaking his head. “Some junior dance and not exactly the stuff of legend. Think itchy tux, gymnasium lights too bright, and somebody’s older brother’s van parked out back. Not very romantic though I tried to make it special even when cuddling afterward was on top of an oil-stained tarp.”
