Page 30 of From Air

“Give me the key,” I say.

After a few more seconds, she releases my wrists and slips a hand into her purse to retrieve her keys. As I reach for them, she pulls them away. “Ifyouwere sober, you would not have done that. Get in the Jeep. We never speak of this again because I’m not letting you get me kicked out of the house.” She marches around the front of the Jeep to the driver’s side.

How can a nurse be so irresponsible?

I jog after her. “The fun’s over. There’s no fucking way I’m letting you drive.”

When I reach for the keys, she hugs them and angles her chest away from me. “Calvin Fitzgerald, get your stubborn, controlling ass in my Jeep. I am not drunk.”

“I watched you down over six cocktails in less than ninety minutes.” I bear-hug her from behind and slide my hand between her chest and crossed arms to steal the keys.

“Calvin, stop!” She wriggles. “I’m not drunk! They were mocktails. Virgin drinks.”

I halt my pursuit of the keys. She stumbles a few feet from the door, breathing heavily. Cheeks and nose colored pink from the air.

Fuck.

She blows her hair out of her face. “I’m your person. I know you ate two plates of food. You lost a game of darts and two games of pool. You talked to a dozen guys and four women. I know you drank one bottle of beer. And you didn’t impregnate the elementary school music teacher because I methim. His name is Mitch, and his wife is six months pregnant with their first child.”

I manage a few blinks before I find a weak voice. “You let me think you were drunk.”

“I did no such thing. You made an assumption, and I laughingly played along. But I thought you knew the truth, the wayIknew the truth about you. Then you”—she stabs her hands in the air between us—“kissedme. If Will and Maren find out, it’s on you. I’m not moving out. You did this. A controlling Capricorn.”

This woman and her moons. There are so many things I could say. An apology. An explanation for my behavior. A promise that Will and Maren will never find out.Somany good options. Yet, I go with the most reckless response.

“We didn’t have sex,” I murmur.

Jamie squints. “What?”

“We didn’t have sex. That’s breaking the rules. We can’t have sex with other housemates. That’s the rule. But if you orgasmed, I’ll keep it between us.” It’s not the right time to smirk or taunt her, but I can’t help it. I live for getting a reaction out of her.

She balls up her hands. “Get. In. The. Jeep.”

Chapter Ten

JAYMES

Calvin kissed me.

CALVIN KISSED ME!

I loved it because I wanted it. I hated it because I shouldn’t have wanted it.

What was he thinking? What wasIthinking? I started to kiss him back.

The only upside to the kiss is Fitz’s guilt.

It’s been two weeks since the party, and he’s not said anything about it. It’s like it didn’t happen, except for his random acts of kindness.

He folded my clothes last week. After it snowed, he cleared a path from the house to my Jeep and dusted the snow from my roof and windows. A few days ago, he made his famous chili and put some in a thermos for me to take to work for lunch. Yesterday, I made a torte, and he washed all the dishes.

If he’s not careful, I might marry him.

Conversely, I don’t get more than a few words from him, the occasional glance, and a polite smile.

He thought I was drunk, so he kissed me to make a point. So what? It was just a kiss.

A kiss I can’t forget.

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