Book 4 - Page 86 (1/2)

“I forgot something,” I said. It was a lie, and I could tell by the way his face fell slightly that we both knew it. “I need to run home before work.”

“Now?” He sat up at the side of the bed, his hair an adorable mess and miles and miles of bare leg stretching to the floor. Wow. “I can drive you.”

“No, it’s okay, I—”

“Ruby, stop,” he said, voice deep and firm. “Let me just get some clothes on.”

He stood, completely naked, and out of some spontaneously polite instinct I looked away—very obviously—instead staring at the far corner of his room.

He noticed, and of course he did. I was acting like a twitchy lunatic.

“Are you all right?” he asked, stepping into a pair of track pants. “It’s not like you to avert your gaze when I’m nude. In fact, you’re usually quite the leering pervert. ”

He was teasing me. He was trying.

I shrugged, looking back at him but only able to really look at his face. “Just mildly panicking.”

Just realizing that I told you I loved you after only a few weeks together and the craziest part is it wasn’t a lie.

Just realizing I think you had pity s.e.x with me last night.

Just realizing I’m probably freaking out for no reason and really should just leave right now and get some coffee and food before I do something stupid like overshare all of this.

“Do you want to sit on my bed and tell me what has you ‘mildly panicking’ after I s.h.a.gged you roundly until only a couple of hours ago? I would think you’d be too worn-out for conscious thought before seven thirty in the morning. I certainly am.”

I looked up at him, at his teasing tone, and smiled weakly. “Maybe over dinner tonight?”

He nodded, eyes narrowed as he studied me. And like that, I’d flipped the switch in him. The overthinking switch. The holy-s.h.i.+t-what-happened-last-night switch. “Okay.”

f.u.c.k.