Page 40 of Next to You

Chapter 15

Lucy

We ate in companionable silence, and I was pleasantly surprised it was only twenty percent awkward. Our repartee since we got here was serving us well. That and the fact that we’d known each other forever helped us bridge the gap between lifelong kind-of, almost, sort-of friends and two people who currently wanted to screw each other senseless.

“We need music,” he stated, getting up to grab the radio. “Something to distract us.” He stacked our plates and took them to the sink to rinse.

“I totally agree. I don’t like quiet. Silence makes me want to fill it, and everything currently running through my mind to say to you is inappropriate for our current situation.”

“Damn.” He froze in realization. “You don’t even have to be overtly flirty with me, Lucy. In fact, you can try to be the opposite of flirty, and I’ll react. Something about you just does it for me.”

I shifted my eyes to look at him through my lashes as every feeling I had always wanted to feel and never thought I would shot through my body like a lightning bolt. “I apologize for not being sorry.”

He burst out laughing. “Never stop.”

My face scrunched up as I realized I wasn’t doing anything but being my authentic weirdo self. “Wow. I just realized you make me feel like it’s okay just to be me. It’s not my fault you have a nerd-kink, Spencer.”

“You’re fucking irresistible is what you are, and I’m glad you’re being yourself around me. I think I might have a Lucy kink. Like I said before, it’s you.”

Sexy electricity arced through my brain, scrambling it as it shot through my heart and ended up straight between my legs.

“And you’re the hottest, most charming, loving, caring, kindest man I’ve ever met.Younever stop. How about that?” That electricity also zapped around in my mouth a little bit. So naturally, I started babbling, cringing inwardly as words poured forth without thought—or rather, with too many thoughts happening at once to sort through before I spewed them out.

I was the walking-talking definition oftoo much. I always had been.

“You’ve brought all that out in me, Lucy. It’s all you.”

Something clicked into place, and warmth radiated as I allowed his words to sink in.

Maybe I should go outside, shove my head in a snowbank, and cool off. I couldn’t be here wearing a lovestruck look on my face like a fool. I had to find a way to be mentally present.

I watched him, trying to think of something to say, as he fiddled with the radio. “There, finally. Got it.” He placed it next to me on the island.

The slow beat of one of my mom’s favorite songs filled the silence, and I perked up.

“Oh! I love this song.”

“What is it?”

“It’s “Holding Back the Years” by Simply Red. It’s on my mom’s eighties playlist.” I slid off my barstool and held out myhand. “Dance with me, Spencer. I can’t just sit here anymore. I have to do something.”

My invitation hung heavy in the air between us for one terrible second.

So I took the few steps to the window and looked outside. The sight of pity on his face would be unbearable. It would crush me. I wasn’t quite sure what had prompted me to ask him to dance, but it was too late to take it back now. A nervous knot rose in my throat, but I choked it back.

He inhaled a breath as if to speak, then hesitated, holding it as the silence crashed against me like waves on the beach.

I wanted to cover my ears with my hands or run away; anything other than hearing him say dancing together was a bad idea.

But before I could make a joke about it or laugh it off, he answered me. “Like the dance we didn’t get to have together at prom?”

Before I could turn around, I knew he was already there, standing at my back. The warmth of his body eased into mine. My shoulders relaxed as I inhaled a slow breath and turned around.

“Exactly like that. But I’m sure we both have much better moves now.”

Explosive currents raced through my body as he stepped toward me, his hand outstretched to take mine. I took it, then pulled him the rest of the way in with my fingers in his belt loop.

I tipped my head back, chin on his chest, hand on his waist. He pressed our intertwined hands next to my cheek, leading us in a slow, swaying side step.

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