Page 11 of The Rookie

“And every time she yells at me,” I add, my expression completely serious now, “I just...fall a little more in love with her.”

There’s a long pause. Then her jaw clenches, and she actually gets up, out of bed, andpunchesme in the arm.

“Not funny,” she snaps, her cheeks bright red.

I burst out laughing, doubling over as I rub my arm. “Oh, come on, that was good!”

She glares at me, then absentmindedly tosses her journal down onto my bed as she heads to the bathroom. “I’m brushing my teeth and then going to bed. At least you can’t annoy me when I sleep.”

I’m still laughing as I lie back down, grinning up at the ceiling.

And then I glance at her journal.

It opened to a random page…and my grin falters as I can’t help but run my eyes over what she wrote:

Things I Want to Experience at Least Once (but Maybe More)

1 A kiss so good it makes my knees weak.Like, actual,can’t-stand-up-afterwardweak. Not just a cliché.

2 Hands pinned above my head.(Okay, maybe Ihavethought about this one too much.)

3 Someone taking their time. I mean really taking their time.No rushing. No expectations. Justwantingme.

4 Angry tension that turns into something else entirely.Bonus points if it starts with an argument.

5 Someone who teases but can actually back it up.

6 The feeling of being completely at someone’s mercy—just for a moment.Trusting them to know exactly what I need, even if I don’t say it.

7 A little danger.Notrealdanger. Just… the kind that makes my pulse race, that leaves me breathless and off-balance in the best way.

8 Someone whodoesn’task permission.Who justknows.Who sees right through me and doesn’t wait for me to say please.

9 A stranger at a restaurant or a club.Just a look. No names. No expectations. Just chemistry thick enough to drown in, a dark corner, and the kind of night you can never repeat.

10 A desk in a skyscraper overlooking a big city.Ideally he’s wearing a suit for this one.

I freeze, my pulse slamming against my ribs, and all of these seem incredible, but one in particular jumps out at me…

A stranger at a restaurant or club.

The words dig in like a hook, an image flashing through my mind—Avery, sitting at a dimly lit table, locking eyes with some random guy. A knowing glance. A quiet agreement.

Heat coils low in my gut, something dark and territorial rising up despite the fact that this is justsome list.Some dumb, private fantasy she probably wrote without thinking twice about it.

Still, I can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t justsome thought she had once.This is something shewants.

And worse?

Somewhere deep down, in the part of myself I don’t like to examine too closely—Iwant to be that guy for her.

I exhale sharply, raking a hand through my hair, but the words on the page are already burned into my brain.

She’ll hate me even more tomorrow.

But for tonight, I’ll count that as a win.

The sound of the bathroom door clicking open makes me jolt like I’ve been caught committing a crime.

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