sixteen
. . .
Gracie
“Doyou think we should write the terms down so that we don’t cross any lines?” I asked as I pulled a notebook and a pen out of my backpack on the bench in his mudroom and followed him into the kitchen.
I. Was. Freaking. Out.
Yes, I’d suggested we continue with this arrangement of ours, but I hadn’t expected his response to be so…sexy. So detailed. As if he’d been thinking about this every day, just like I had.
And now it was happening.
It. Was. Happening.
So, my nerves were on edge thinking about what we were going to do, and I needed some form of control in this situation.
A notebook and pen were usually the answer.
His lips turned up in the corners. “I don’t know, Jeege. I usually just sort of go with it. I’ve never written up terms before hooking up with someone.”
“Well, you aren’t hooking up withsomeone. This is me and you. That makes everything different, right?” I sat on a barstool and flipped to the first page in my notebook, noting the way myhand trembled the slightest bit. “Rule number one, there is an expiration date. That’s important, right?”
“Obviously.” His heated gaze took me in, and his tone was laced with sarcasm, making it clear that he thought I was being ridiculous about writing up the rules.
I was going to enter the grayest of gray areas with my best friend. We needed to have clear lines in place. It was only logical.
“September thirtieth will be the last day of our agreement; however, we can terminate the contract at any time before then if we choose to.” I tapped my pen on the pad of paper a few times before jotting it down, looking up to find him watching me. Dark eyes, and a sexy-as-sin smirk on his lips. I forced myself to stay focused. “That means, if you happen to meet someone you’re interested in, and you’d like to explore things with another woman—our deal ends immediately. We don’t want to complicate things.”
“All right. Same goes for you. I won’t be sharing you with anyone else.”
“Okay. That works for me.” I felt my cheeks heat, and I could swear my palms were suddenly sweaty, so I quickly turned my attention back to the notebook and jotted down number two. “But I do think it’s important to be very clear. Everything is on the table, aside from sex, right?”
He leaned back slightly, and my pulse skipped a beat when his lips curved into that slow, deliberate smile that always made my stomach do strange things.
“I mean… Are you asking me?” His gaze held mine, and I could feel the warmth in his eyes. The way that he was entirely focused on me. “You know I’m a fan of sex,” he said, but there was a softness there too. “But I’m more interested in what makes you comfortable. What makes you feel good. Everything else—every inch of you, every thought, every desire, every moment—if you’re feeling it, I’m all in.”
My breath hitched in my throat, and I was suddenly desperate to lean closer, even though I was nervous. Everything about him right now—the tone of his voice, the heated look in his eyes, that slight movement as if he could close the distance at any second—had me thinking in ways I wasn’t supposed to.
My hand was shaking so bad that I settled my other hand over it to make it less obvious. I’d thought making this list would calm my nerves, but looking at him now, hearing the words coming from his mouth, it was impossible to think straight.
Focus, Gracie.
“I think sex would complicate things. At least for me it would.” I blew out a breath, because the thought of experiencing good sex for the first time in my life was definitely intriguing. But we were already playing with fire. Rules were put in place for a reason, and my gut told me this was one I should stick to.
“Then it’s definitely off the table. But everything else is fair game.” His lips lifted in a teasing curve, and I squeezed my thighs together in response. He was ridiculously sexy. Unfairly sexy. He pushed to his feet, his movement fluid, confident, and my eyes couldn’t help but follow. He walked to the door and looked outside at the night sky, tilting his head back, letting the moonlight catch the edge of his jaw. “Let’s go for a swim,” he said, and there was that low, intoxicating edge in his voice. “I love jumping in the lake before bed.”
My stomach fluttered—every glance, every word from him felt like it was meant just for me.
And that was dangerous.
I desperately tried to keep it together, clearing my throat before holding up the pen for him. “Okay, let’s just both sign this, and we can make changes or additions as we go if we see fit.”
He walked toward me, showing all the confidence in the world with each stride as he closed the distance between us. Hetook the pen from my hand, his fingers grazing along mine and lighting a fire in me just from the simple touch.
He signed it without hesitation, and I signed my name beneath his before he motioned for the back door.
“I need to go grab my swimsuit,” I said, turning toward the hallway, but then he wrapped his large hand around my wrist.
