Page 103 of Let You Love Me

“Absolutely. Even if it’s for only an hour. Even if you’re justfriends,” she says, emphasizing the word as if she doesn’t for one second think that’s what we are.

“I don’t even know if he’ll want to. Maybe he needs to get back to the dorms.” Suddenly all my insecurities come rushing in. “Maybe he has other plans,” I add as I pull the front door open, and Mom practically pushes me out.

“Oh, he wants to. Trust me.” Mom nods behind me, then closes the door and locks it, leaving me more than a little disoriented. I turn to find Teagan leaning against the front of his car, legs crossed at the ankles, his hands in his pockets.

My heart takes the opportunity to run a marathon inside my chest, and after a moment of dumbly staring at him, I realize I should probably move.

I close the gap between us, searching for something to say and feeling like this is my first time talking to a boy.

Luckily, he saves me from myself.

“Did you get her down okay?”

I nod, my mouth dry. “She’s out like a light.”

“Good,” he says but makes no move to leave, which is both a relief and unnerving.

“Did you, uh . . .” I swallow and the words stick in my throat.

Why the hell is this so hard?

“Did you wanna maybe go somewhere for a bit?” I ask. “Sophie’s covered, so if you want . . . I mean, I’ll understand if you don’t but—”

“Fuck, yes, I want to.” He reaches out and takes my hand. No discussion. No question. One moment, he’s leaning against his car while I mumble like a stuttering baboon, and the next, he’s yanking the passenger door of his car open for me and waving me inside.

Why is that so hot?

I pinch my shirt with my free hand, fluttering the material to cool the heat coursing through my veins while I slide into the passenger seat, watching as he rounds the hood, giving it a little tap before he slides in next to me.

Blue eyes meet mine, and he says, “I know just the place we can go.”

Chapter 25

LANE

The parking lot iscompletely empty when we pull into Arrowhead Park.

I glance over at Teagan, wondering what his plan is. He gets out without a word, opens my door, and pulls me out.

The muscles in his back flex beneath the soft cotton of his shirt as he heads for the entrance of the park where a large metal gate blocks the pebbled walkway. A sign that reads:Closed at dusk. Violators and Trespassers will be prosecuted,hangs askew.

“They’re closed,” I say, motioning toward the sign. “We’re not supposed to be here.”

Teagan glances back at me, one brow quirked. “And?”

Andhe’s forgetting he’s with the rule follower, a Careful Carol.Okay, I just made that up, but does he not remember the night we went skinny dipping and I confessed I’d never done most things before?

Well, that includes trespassing and breaking into state parks after dark.

“It’s just . . .” I shift on my feet, glancing around me as I bite my lip. I feel like, at any moment, one of the park guards is going to jump out of the bushes and put me in cuffs.

Teagan smiles. “Do youalwaysfollow the rules?”

“Generally,” I admit with a grimace, but is that really a bad thing? “Rules exist for a reason.”

“What if I promise you it’ll be okay. We’re just going to sit and watch the sun finish setting. That is, if we make it.” He presses his lips together and glances at the horizon, then back again, and if the deepening of his dimples is any indication, he’s trying not to show his amusement at my fear of getting caught.

“Look, we’re not harming anything, so we won’t get in trouble. Even if someone sees us, at most, they’ll just tell us to leave.”

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