Page 92 of Double Apex

My heart is beating hard from the way she’s grasping my index finger, and I’m sure she must hear it with her cheek pressed against me. A little smile flickers at one corner of her lips.

“Thank you for today,” she says quietly.

“It’s entirely selfish.”

“Bullshit, Ardelean. You not only made my day with the car and the picnic, but between the money and the race pass, that couple at the diner will never stop talking about this.”

She’s still holding my forefinger, so I use my pinky to trace a line down her nose. “You gave them the tickets.”

“We worked together on it.”

“A good team.”

Her mouth scrunches to one side, rueful. “In some ways.” She brings the tip of my finger to her lower lip and makes one quick touch that isn’t a kiss. “Not in the ways we wished.”

“I don’t know if I agree.” I touch her lip again. “It worked well, but life had other plans.”

A tense minute passes as I continue to touch her face, and she allows it. Her lips part and I can’t resist putting my finger inside to the first joint, sweeping her tongue as her lips close around me for just an instant.

She pushes upright and backs away, on her knees on the blanket.

“Cosmin.”

“I know…”

I’m about to apologize when the clamor of sudden rain hits the leaves above us, and we both look up.

“Fuck!” Phaedra begins scrambling to pack everything into the basket, and I help.

As we reach for a cup at the same time, her forehead hits my cheekbone, and we both recoil with a yelp and a laugh. I bundle the blanket and follow as Phaedra dashes for the car. By the time we put the picnic things into the trunk, we’re half soaked. The rain is so fierce, the surface of the nearby lake boils dark as a stormy sea.

I jerk the back door open. Without hesitation Phaedra dives across the bench seat and I leap in after her, dragging the heavy door shut behind us.

She rakes damp hair away from her face, then presses her fingers to her forehead.

“Ow,” she says with a wince. “You okay?”

I touch my cheek. “It’s tender, but I doubt it will bruise.”

Phaedra reaches into the foot well and pulls off her sneakers, followed by the socks. “If it does, I can tell everyone you put the moves on me and I decked you.”

She rises onto her knees and comes toward me across the massive seat, turning my head toward the light.

“Yeah, you’re fine,” she pronounces, inspecting.

I trap her hand against my cheek, and her smile flattens into something grave.

“Hey, Cos?”

“Yes, sweet one.” I snake one hand around her thigh and shift her to straddle my lap.

Her other hand joins the first, cradling my jaw. She licks her lips, and we watch each other for a long time.

Her gaze darts from one of my eyes to the other.

“What happens in the car stays in the car, right?” she murmurs.

“Agreed.”

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