Page 25 of Next to You

“Yeah. So, no kissing. We’ll agree that it is forbidden. At least not until after we go home. Does that make you feel better about being stuck with me? No hurt or hard feelings, just a healthy appreciation of our situation and the smartest way to approach it.”

She held her hand across the counter. My lips twitched. I tried not to laugh as I shook it. This was the weirdest deal I’d ever made. “Yes, I feel better. But at the same time, also, no, I do not. Calling it forbidden makes me want it more, just saying.”

“I totally get that. It’s like having naughty Oreos for breakfast.” Laughter lit up her eyes. “I wanted that kiss, Spencer, I’m not going to lie. But, after I thought about it, your restraint impressed me. We’re all alone in this gorgeous, snowy cabin. It’s romantic; there’s a cozy fire, a comfy couch, and two people who have apparently had secret little crushes on each other for years.And let’s not forget about the elephant in the room: there is only one bed. We don’t want to rush things; in fact, we shouldn’t. It’s the smart choice. We just need to find some non-sexy activities to do together to distract ourselves.”

The thought crossed my mind that any activity, no matter what it was, would be sexy if I was doing it with Lucy. I was screwed, no matter what we did.

I took a glance out the window, hoping it had stopped snowing, but no. Fate was tempting the hell out of me today. I had to be strong.

“Non-sexy, huh?” I tried to relax, but her eyes were on me, and I felt the weight of her stare like a damn touch. “Well.” I coughed, eyes darting to the cabinet by the fireplace, needing to look anywhere else so I didn’t have to look at her. “We have a ridiculous amount of board games here, in that cabinet. Probably a few decks of cards, too. We could play games to distract ourselves.”

“Sounds like fun. Oh! I found the liquor. Your dad buys the good stuff. I’m impressed. Maybe later we can drink amaretto sours and play poker. But I have to warn you, I cheat at cards.”

Could she get any cuter? She cheats at cards and admits it, damn.

“Ahh, but is it really cheating if I know you’re going to do it?”

“Hmm, I see your point. I made it part of the rules, didn’t I?” Her head tilted to the side along with one side of her mouth in a sweet little smile.

Was she trying to flirt with me, or is this just how she was now? The Lucy I had known back in school would never be this bold. I liked it far too much, considering the circumstances.

“Something like that.” I couldn’t take much more of this.

“Well, if I cheat at poker, what else will I cheat at?” She made a kissy face at me. “Clearly, I’m not to be trusted around card games or your sexy lips.”

“I didn’t know you were such a troublemaker.” An embarrassing flush heated my cheeks. This was a side of Lucy I had no idea existed, and I was into it.

“I’ve been hiding behind my good girl rep for years, Spencer. Living the solitary, weirdo art girl life. Writing children’s books and doing whatever my mother tells me.”

I let out a short burst of air. I would have laughed and joked along with her, maybe flirted back—what could it hurt? But I was so turned on right now that I couldn’t trust myself. Or maybe I should just kiss her and give us both what we wanted.

Something had gotten into her while I was outside. She knew how badly I wanted her, so that had to be it. My feelings had made her bold, but something in her words held me back.

She deserved more.

Even though my feelings were real, Lucy deserved more than I could offer her while we were here. We had endless hours to wait for the storm to pass and help to arrive. She deserved phone calls, dinner dates, flowers, and wine. Lucy was special, and she deserved to be treated as such.

She’d already told me about how that little shit Skipper McFadden had treated her. I refused to be one of the guys who had let her down.

“Right?” Finally finding some words, I answered, “I’m the one to watch out for if reputation is the only consideration.”

“Totally, you’re—too much. You’re so good-looking, so hot, everyone thinks so. You used to race cars with your brothers on the weekend, Spencer. You drove a motorcycle to school. All the girls wanted to date you. I was a nerdy mess back in high school.”

My eyes raked her up and down. “You were never a mess, Lucy. And you sure as hell aren’t one now.”

“Ha, you must be joking. I’m an entire mess right now, and I’m wearing your sister’s clothes.”

“Most of that stuff is new. Charlotte hates packing, so she buys stuff to leave here. I’ll pay her for it, and you can keep it. I don’t want that thought in my head. Nice try, but it’s not the turn off you thought it would be.”

“The joke is on you.” She waved the ladle around for emphasis. “I’m not trying to turn you off. I just have no filter. Are you ready to eat?”

“Yes. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nope. You’re keeping us warm today, so I’ll keep us fed. I got this.”

Damn, flirty Lucy and her lack of a filter were going to kill me.

I should have just kissed her.

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