I nod. “Yeah, it’s a cool party.”
“Yeah, jackasses didn’t tell me anything. That’s fine. We’ll be up bright and early cleaning. Or they will, not me.”
“Everyone said you wouldn’t be here tonight.”
“I was supposed to stay at my mom’s, but it was a bit much, so I had to go.”
“And then to come home to this. I bet it’s annoying.”
He shrugs. “The partying doesn’t bother me. It’s the lying. Like, just be honest. I don’t care. I just want to know everyone is safe.”
“That’s fair.”
He looks over at me then, and heat rushes to my skin. It’s almost as if he’s undressing me with his gaze, but just as quickly as he took me in, he looks away, pinching the bridge of his nose. I’m not sure how to take that.
Silence falls between us, and I stuff my mouth full of Goldfish. I notice he’s watching me eat, and I shrug. “They’re good.”
“They’re my favorite.”
“Mine too.”
We share a grin, and I just adore the dimples in his cheeks. They’re so deep, so cute, and Lord, if I don’t stop staring at him, I’m gonna jump him. We both look away at the same time as the air crackles around us. Or, at least, around me; I don’t know what he is thinking. Maybe I should find out?
“Are you running tomorrow?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“Not with our early practice.”
“Okay. I was going to get up early and head out.”
“I’ll catch the next run,” I say, and then I meet his gaze.
“I need your number,” he says, grabbing his phone. “We can coordinate these runs.”
Ugh, am I just a running partner at this point? At that moment, my phone rings. I jump at the noise and look to see it’s Cameron. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s too far of a walk upstairs for me in heels. Have hunky RA man walk you down, and let’s head home.”
“Oh, okay. Give me a minute.”
I hang up and stand. “Can you walk me down? Cam doesn’t want to come up all the stairs.”
“Sure,” he says as he stands. “Not sure it’s a good idea for you to be in here or seen with me anyway.”
Well, hell, I guess that’s my answer. “Huh?”
He fumbles with his words, his cheeks turning red. “I mean with how the girls have been acting about me, trying to get with me, and then you’re in here. They’ll get the wrong idea.”
I shrug, annoyed now. “Oh, I don’t care.”
“You don’t?”
“No. Why would I?”
He doesn’t move. He just stares at me. “Because you don’t want them to think we’re hooking up.”
I laugh as I turn to face him. “They already assume we are. Even Coach asked.”
His eyes widen. “No shit. What did you say?”
“That we weren’t.”
“Oh.”
“And even if we were, would that be such a bad thing?”
That was a little forward, and I know how he does with forward, but I’ve gotta take my shot here. He seems taken aback, but the grin that forms along his lips is breathtaking. “I know I shouldn’t, but I gotta say, you look really beautiful tonight.”
Okay, didn’t expect that. I wave him off. “Better than a leo and chalk, huh?”
His lips tip at the side. “I happen to enjoy the leo and chalk.”
I look up at him and swallow hard. Well, here we go. Before I chicken out, I look down and say, “I know you said you weren’t looking for any distraction from your goals, but would you like to get—”
My words are cut off when he takes my jaw in his hand. My eyes meet his, and ever so slowly, he moves his thumb along my bottom lip. He swallows hard, and I realize I’m not breathing at all. I get lost in his eyes, and everything inside me catches on fire. Then, by the grace of God Himself, despite all the prayers Nico has been praying, Evan lowers his mouth to mine.
I have never been so ready for a kiss in my life, and there is no way I’m gonna stop.
Rules or not, Evan Adler is mine.
thirteen
Evan
I don’t know what made me kiss Callie at this very moment, but I had to.
Maybe it’s the way her hair is falling down her shoulders or how overwhelmingly gorgeous she is. There is something about the way her hair curls that urges me to tangle my fingers in it. I didn’t expect her to be in my room. She shouldn’t have been, but the moment I saw her, I was blown away by her. Not just the way she looks, but everything about her. Her eyes, her lips, her smile. Everything.
She moves into me, her hands coming to rest on my chest as I wrap one arm around her waist, pulling her even closer as I glide my other hand up into her hair. I tangle my fingers like I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and I hold her close. She slides her hand up my neck, holding my jaw as our lips move together urgently but slowly. She tastes as good as I imagined, maybe even better. Her lips are sticky from her lip gloss, and she tastes like the Goldfish she was eating. I’ve wondered what it would feel like to have her in my arms, but not even my imagination could have prepared me for this. Callie is full of muscle, every inch of her, but she’s soft in my arms. Her skin is silky, and the dress she wears is like velvet against my arm.
My mind is racing, and I want to critique the way I’m kissing her, but she seems to like it. She moves her hands down my body and under my shirt, her fingers cold against my burning-hot skin. My breath catches against her lips, and she smiles before running her tongue along my bottom lip. I’m leaned over since she’s so small, and my neck hurts, but there is no way I’m stopping this kiss. I didn’t even realize how badly I wanted this until her mouth was on mine. She circles her arms around my waist, to the small of my back, tucking her hands into my waistband and pushing her body into mine.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t rock hard the moment I saw her, but now, I’m so hard I’m throbbing everywhere. I can’t even fathom why my younger brother comes to mind, but he does. I hate that I’m jealous that he has had the real release. That he has experienced the real deal, and I haven’t. I know I’m in the middle of doing just that, but something is holding me back. I feel like I should tell her or even confirm this isn’t just some random hookup. I mean, I gotta see her daily, and I enjoy her company.
Fuck, why am I thinking so hard? Why can’t I enjoy this?
Callie pulls back, and when her eyes meet mine, I think she knows I’m freaking out. She removes her hands from my waistband and reaches for my hand that’s behind her back. Her eyes never leave mine as she guides me to my bed. “Stop thinking. I want this. I want you.”
Well, hell. She pushes me back onto my bed and climbs into my lap like a cat on the prowl. Her body is thick, heavy against mine as her knees come to my hips. Her eyes are so dark, so hooded, and so fucking sexy, I’m just lost in her. Callie slides her hands up my arms, and she cups my neck before her mouth finds mine. Unable to think or even react, I fall victim to her drawn-out kisses, and I feel them all over my body. I feel the heat of her through my jeans, calling to my cock the way the sea called to Moana. Thanks, Zac, for that vision. The kid loves that movie. I do too, but fuck me, why am I thinking of Disney and not enjoying this gorgeous woman who’s in my lap?