Page 69 of The Apple Tree

“I did! You had the chance to save my hut but tucked your tail between your legs and bit your tongue.”

Kyle turned one-eighty to face me, and I bumped into him and frowned. “Eve, last night I let the preacher’s daughter grind against my cock in nothing but her bra and panties.Patience.A hunter waits for his shot. A knight doesn’t storm the castle untilhe knows he can take the rook and the king. One move at a time. Okay?”

I stared up at him and rolled my eyes. “I don’t play chess. So what move did you make today?”

“When you were at work, and I was helping your dad take down the trees?—”

“And my hut.”

He sighed. “When Iwas helping your dad take down the trees, he thanked me for trusting you with Josh. And I sang your praises.”

“You sing?”

He smirked. “Probably better than you.”

“Jerk.”

“Evil.”

It shouldn’t have thrilled me to be called Evil, but it did when Kyle said it.

“I got a condom,” I informed him with pride.

He narrowed his eyes. “Yougot a condom?”

I nodded.

“Why?”

I was crestfallen by his reply. “Last night, you didn’t have?—”

“No. I’m aware of what I didn’t have last night. I’m just really confused as to whyyougot a condom. And just to be clear, it’s ‘a’ condom?”

“Do you double up? You’re not supposed to.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Where did you get a single condom?”

“Erin.” As soon as I said her name, I cringed.

He widened his eyes. “Erin? As in your friend Erin?”

I wrinkled my nose and nodded.

“So you told your friend about us, even though I told you to tell no one?”

“She’s my best friend.”

“I said no one.”

“She’s not going to say anything.”

“Eve,youweren’t supposed to say anything, but you did. So why do you believe she won’t?”

“Dude, we’re not doing anything wrong. What’s the big deal?”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “If it’s no big deal, we should tell your dad, right? And I’m sure he’ll be happy for us.”

“Well, I think we should wait to tell my dad.”

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