She just smiled at me. And fuck, that smile. That was the thing that would ruin me if I let it. Except I was starting to think ruin didn’t sound all that bad if she was the one doing it.
I pulled into the gravel driveway, killed the engine, and turned toward her before she could reach for the door. Her hand was still in mine.
“Pip.”
“What?”
I lifted our joined hands and brushed my mouth over her knuckles, not soft enough to be sweet, not dirty enough to be a threat, but close enough that her breath caught anyway.
“Your family gets the polite version today.”
Her eyes narrowed. “There’s a polite version?”
“Barely.”
“And what version did I get this morning?”
I smiled against her fingers. “That was just a preview.”
Her lips parted, and for one second I thought she might actually climb across the console and kiss me.
Then she snatched her hand back like I had burned her and pointed toward the house. “Out. Immediately. Before you get me disowned.”
“I haven’t done anything.”
“You exist provocatively.”
“That’s on you.”
“That is not on me.”
“You’re the one looking.”
She glared, cheeks flushed, mouth fighting a smile she was absolutely losing too.
I opened my door, grinning as I climbed out.
Behind me, she muttered, “Benefits. Physical. Controlled.”
I leaned down, looking back through the open door. “You giving yourself a pep talk?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
“Go carry something heavy and be quiet.”
I laughed, grabbed the foil pan from the back seat, and watched her step out into the sunlight with flushed cheeks, messy bun, and my coffee still in her hand.
Physical. Benefits. Controlled.
Sure, Pip.
Whatever helped her walk into that backyard.
I had all semester to prove her wrong.
15
