Page 168 of Come Back to Me

“No competition or medal tables. Orgasms don’t equal an apology. You were an idiot, but you’re a man so I should have expected it. I come, you come?—”

“I’m never going to say no to that,” I rasp, but what I don’t say is that I intend to get her addicted to me.

She’s right. I’m a man. I’ll fuck up in the future. If I give her what no one else can, not just orgasms, but jokes, understanding, acceptance, comfort, and love, she’ll forgive me my sins. She’ll remember how good we are together. I might have dozens of lake-dunkings in my future, but I’ll take it.

I won’t lose her.

I can’t.

Not again.

“If I have a question, you have to answer it.”

“Agreed.” I grimace then tease, “Be gentle with me?”

Her snort tells me how well that’s going to go.

“I want to see some pictures you’ve taken.”

“Fine. They’re not that good,” I warn.

“I don’t care. I want you to take photos of me.”

“What kind of pictures?”

Her smirk clues me in. “You have to make me sexy.”

“You’re the sexiest woman in the fucking universe, Tee. That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Just the thought of taking pictures of her like that…

Mind.

Blown.

She hums—ten seconds.

She likes my answer.

Honestly, her humming is becoming the soundtrack to my life.

“What else?”

“Dinner with Nonna at some point, but I want this on the down-low.”

“‘This’ meaning ‘us?’”

“Yes.”

I scowl. “Why?”

“Because if we don’t, Mom will pressure me into being normal, and I don’t want to be normal.”

“So we’re fake not-dating?”

“Exactly.” She beams at me. “Everyone knows I’m mad at you?—”

“Yes, I saw Dora from The Coffee Shop glare at me this morning. Assume that’s you?”

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