Page 57 of Off Limits

He bends and kisses me again, but he’s as paranoid as I am, because his kiss is little more than a peck and he’s scanning the crowd to make sure no one he knows saw us.

Sigh.

Maybe we should just tell Cal. Rip off the Band-Aid, so to speak, and get it over with so Simon and I can just be a couple.

But the thought of telling Cal makes me feel like puking, my stomach cold and roiling, and I haven’t even had anything to drink yet. He’d be furious. With me. With Simon. And even if I can ignore him, I don’t think I could put Simon through that. I know what Cal’s like when he’s really mad. And he holds a grudge like he gets paid for it.

No, things between Simon and Cal would never be the same again. And while I know Simon hates lying to Cal, I like Simon too much to let him throw away his friendship over me.

And I like him too much to give him up.

So I guess we’ll just have to keep things secret until whatever this is between us runs its course. Of course that thought doesn’t make me feel any better either. I really like Simon. Likereallylike Simon. I don’t want to think about things ending between us.

So I won’t.

This year is about fun. A last hurrah before I choose a boring major to get a boring job and set me on my boring life path that will make my parents happy.

But until then, I’m going to choose what makes me happy. And what makes me happy is Simon.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Simon

When I pull out my phone to find a text from Ellie saying she’s at the party, my heart leaps while my stomach plummets. It’s a strange sensation, and it takes me a minute to recover.

Ellie’s here. Which is awesome, because it means I won’t have to wait to see her.

But Ellie’s here. At the party. Where Cal is.

Which means that even if I see her, I can’t touch her. Not unless I want to open a whole can of worms that I don’t think either of us is prepared for.

Yeah, I hate lying to Cal and sneaking around with his sister behind his back. And I’d like to think that he’d eventually come around, because I’m not just some asshole dicking his sister for the hell of it. Or to mess with him. I like Ellie. A lot. A hell of a lot. I would hope he’d be happy for me. For us.

But now is not the time for that. And I need Ellie on board before I tell him, or she’ll be pissed at me too. And both McAdam siblings being mad at me doesn’t sound like a good time to me. The dramatics. The hysterics. And that would just be Cal.

With Ellie, I imagine it would be cold fury and the distinct possibility she’d refuse to talk to me for a while. Maybe forever.

I knock back the rest of the beer in my cup and hold it up. “I’m going for a refill,” I announce.

Cal whoops. “I knew you’d stick around for more than one!” he crows.

Waving him off, I head inside, scanning everywhere for Ellie. Fortunately, I find her and Autumn in line for drinks, discussing the relative merits of men versus vibrators, apparently.

When Ellie sees me, the whole party falls away. I know I volley something appropriate back to Autumn, because she laughs, but I don’t even know what I’m saying, because all I can focus on is Ellie.

She looks stunning tonight with a shimmery red top peeking out from under a cropped sweater, a blue crystal winking in the overhead lights. Her skin seems to glow, and I can’t not kiss her.

Conscious of the fact that any of my teammates could walk in at any time, I keep it brief and chaste, and it’s clear Ellie’s worried about the same thing, because she never stops looking around the room the entire time I’m with her.

Once they have drinks and my own cup is refilled, we reluctantly part ways. At least reluctantly on mine and Ellie’s parts. I don’t think Autumn cares much one way or the other.

The girls weave their way into another room in the house while I head back outside with the bulk of my teammates. Some have peeled off already, in search of other forms of entertainment, but there’s still a core group reliving the best moments of tonight’s victory and waiting for the beer to kick in or someone to catch their eye before drifting off as well. Once that happens, it’ll be my cue to leave.

I can’t fucking wait.

When Ellie and Autumn come out into the yard, I can’t take my eyes off them. And when they’re approached by two guys, I have to make an effort not to crush the cup in my hand. Not because I don’t trust Ellie, but because those fuckers think she’s available. And I’m right fucking here, but I can’t do anything to make it obvious that she’s taken. That she’smine.

Tearing my eyes away, I refocus on the conversation flowing around me. Or I try to. But I’m too distracted by the fierce possessiveness of my thoughts. It’s new and disconcerting.

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