Page 51

Fuck. I’m such a fucking idiot. I could be cuddled down on the Cape in one bed with Lettie tonight. Instead, I bummed a ride off my idiot teammate, who couldn’t stop talking about yarn bombing, whatever that is.

I take another step forward; still, one step remains between us.

“I don’t want to move too fast. I don’t want to ruin this,” I admit. “The ball is yours, Lettie. Tell me what you want.”

“I want you.” She closes the remaining gap and throws her arms around my neck.

“Thank fuck.” I pull her tighter to me and wrap my hands around her waist.

She tugs my head down closer to her, and our mouths collide.

Her lips are warm and soft, even better than I imagined. And I’ve imagined this a lot, if I’m being frank.

I suck on her bottom lip, and she moans into the kiss.

Fuck. This must be a dream.

I move my hands lower to grip her tight ass and test my theory. I wait for her to swipe it away, or worse, I wake up, but we are still glued together, barely catching our breath.

“Calvin,” she gasps. She presses her forehead to mine.

I pepper light kisses along her cheek, her jaw, her ear. Any bare spot I can find, I press my lips to her soft skin.

“It’s getting late,” she whispers.

“It is,” I agree with her. “It’s not the Around the Corner Inn, but my bedroom is just around the corner from here, if you’d like to stay the night. I only have the one bed, but it is king size.”

She nods.

I grab her hand and weave my fingers through hers, then I tug her to my bedroom until we land at my bed.

She lays her body across my bed, but she’s as stiff as a board and appears like she has no idea what to do with her arms.

I walk over to the other side of the bed and lie down next to her, both on our backs, as we stare up at the ceiling. I don’t want to rush her.

She takes a breath so deep that it shakes the bed.

I roll over to my side, facing her direction. After a solid second, she mimics me as we face each other.

I stare into her eyes to find a mix of emotions roaring through.

“Hey.” I touch her shoulder gently. “We don’t have to do anything else. We can just lie here for all I care.”

She inches closer, still leaving plenty of distance.

“I do want to.”

“I know.” I could feel the desire in her kisses. I’m not sure if she’s ready yet, and that’s okay.

After a few minutes, she blurts, “It’s been a really long time since I even kissed anyone.”

“Anyone since your ex?” I ask.

Her answer is quiet; I can barely hear the “no” that floats through the air.

Even though I’ve known Scarlett Goodick for five years now, she is still somewhat of a mystery to me, even after spending the last few days solely with her.

I know the basics, of course. She’s the oldest Goodick sibling, and Sebastian is her only brother, a few years younger than her, with her baby sister a few years after him. I know she’s originally from California, and she lost her dad when she was a teenager. These are all things I know about her by being good friends with Sebastian.