Page 64 of The Apple Tree

She nodded. “Another day.”

“Good night,” I said, ducking my head to kiss her.

She wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her chest against mine. Her tongue teased my lips, and the kiss intensified when mine darted out to meet hers. I couldn’t remember the last time I enjoyed kissing a woman so much. Every time it slowed,and I thought I should end it, she leaned into my body a little more and it fed the fire.

Finally, I ended the kiss, adjusting my erection.

Her gaze followed my hand, making her grin stretch to her ears, but she didn’t say anything about my uncomfortable situation. “I have to go so I can talk to my parents about us before they’re in bed,” she said, opening her door and plopping into the driver’s seat.

“You can what? Wait!” I held open the door.

“What can they say? We’re consenting adults.” She shrugged, putting the key into the ignition.

“Eve …” I narrowed my eyes.

Her gaze washed across my face before she relinquished a shit-eating grin. “Are you panicking?” She smirked. “Of course you are becauseI’m that good.”

“Evil.”

She laughed while I shut her door.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

JOHN COUGAR MELLENCAMP, “PAPER IN FIRE”

Eve

I almost calledin sick to work the following day, but since I was filling in for another employee, I couldn’t bring myself to leave the owner without someone to work. I wasn’t all evil.

It was the longest day of my life because I needed to talk to Erin so badly that by the time I reached her house after work, I was ready to explode.

“Eve, how are you?” her mom asked, answering the door after I rang the bell twice and knocked a dozen times.

“Great. Uh, is Erin home?”

“Yeah, she’s in her?—”

“Thanks!” I called, already halfway up the stairs toward Erin’s bedroom.

She had music blaring from her boombox, and I opened her door without warning.

“Hey,” she said, glancing up from the edge of her bed where her foot was propped up while she painted her toenails red. “How was working on a Saturday?”

I turned down the volume on her boombox just enough to talk without yelling.

“I almost had sex last night,” I said so quickly it sounded like one long, indecipherable word, like I was trying to talk while being electrocuted.

“What?” Her face scrunched, keeping her head bowed to paint her toenails.

I kneeled before her, taking the nail polish from her hands and setting it on her nightstand.

“I’m not done,” she whined.

“I. Almost. Had. Sex. Last. Night.”

Her eyes shot open, along with her mouth.

I covered mine to muffle my scream while nodding repeatedly.

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