Page 71 of From Air

No smirk.

No elaborate follow-up detailing his other theories about my past.

He delivers those two words with sincerity.

“Aliens abducted me,” I mumble as we align the siding.

Focusing on nailing it to the house, Will smirks. “They assured you Earth is as good as it gets, so you’re determined to save it one fire at a time?”

“Exactly. But this stays between us.”

Will chuckles. “Of course. I’ll take it to my grave.”

“Speaking of secrets, did Jamie ever talk to you about her boss?”

With a raised eyebrow, Will shoots me a look. “What about her boss?”

“Dr. Reichart.”

“Yeah,” he says slowly, setting the nail gun on the ground.

“Did you happen to take something of hers?”

“What are you talking about?” He crosses his arms while I grab my water bottle and take a few gulps.

“I’m talking about her virginity.” I set the bottle on the bumper of my truck.

“Whotold you about that?” He squints.

“Jamie.”

“And she found out how?”

“Dr. Reichart, I believe.”

His lips twist.

“There’s a lot of standing around going on,” Maren chirps before sipping her coffee.

“As opposed to sitting on one’s ass like ...” I clear my throat. “Some people?” I rest a hand on my hip.

Jamie hops off her skateboard and hands me her insulated mug of coffee. “You need some caffeine to soothe your mood.”

“I don’t want your germs.” I shake my head.

She presses her lips together, taking back her mug. We have a silent exchange, and my dick gets hard remembering her sayingKiss me lower.We’ve swapped a few germs, but Maren and Will don’t need to know I’d happily stick my tongue anywhere on her body.

“Jamie, did Everleigh tell you I took her virginity?” Will leans against my dirty truck.

Her eyes widen, gaze aimed at me.

I shrug. “I assumed you told him. It’s been weeks.”

“Yes. She told me. And she wanted me to tell you she’d like to get coffee sometime. It slipped my mind. Sorry.”

“You ... t-took Dr. Reichart’s v-card?” Maren chokes on her coffee. “When was this? Last week? How old is she?”

Will frowns. “She was in medical school. I was in California for the summer.”

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