Page 46 of What if It's Us

Does he really notice all those things about me?

And how have I not noticed him paying that close of attention before?

“You have the sexiest curves that any man would be lucky to get the chance to explore.”

Oh, hello.

That’s a compliment I didn’t expect to hear.

He thinks I’m sexy?

“And if the men you’ve been with in the past didn’t spend every opportunity telling you how beautiful you are, then they didn’t and will never deserve you.” He brings both hands to my face now, cupping my cheeks and piercing my eyes with his own. “You'restunning—like, stop-traffic, make-time-slow-down kind of beautiful. Not just in the way you look but in your vibe, your presence, the way you carry yourself. You have a glow about you—something magnetic, something that can't be faked. You’ve got that rare kind of beauty that makes people feel something. Like art. Like poetry in motion. And if you were mine, Marlee, I’d want to spend every waking minute showing you what an amazing work of art your body really is.”

Holy hell…

His words…

His heated stare…

My chest rises and falls as my heart beats erratically.

“If I was yours?”

I don’t know what the hell made those words spill out of my mouth just now. Maybe it’s the idea of being his. I’ve never given it any more than a passing thought on a day where he’s particularly sexy looking in a suit or when an adoring fan holds up an inappropriate poster at a game, but now?

Now I think the idea of being Ledger’s is enticing.

“Yeah.” Ledger nods, his face careful not to give away what he’s thinking as he speaks. “You have a birthmark on your left inner thigh.”

His observation catches me off guard, but I nod. “I do.”

“It looks kind of like a chocolate chip cookie with a bite taken out of it. Seeing it a few weeks ago…I had to tell myself I couldn’t just lean forward and nibble on it myself. Lick it. Taste it on your skin.”

Oh, my God.

This is not what friends say to each other on the regular.

Does he…?

Is he saying…?

Does Ledger have feelings for me?

Oh, my God! What if he does?

Wait. Does this change anything?

I mean it changes a lot of things, but what about my plan?

But also, why does being with Ledger Dayne sound like a delicious idea?

“Ledge…”

“And don’t get me started on the prettiest pussy I’ve ever laid eyes on.” Ledger shakes his head, his pupils darkening. “I wasn’t lying when I said that Marlee, and if you were mine, you couldn’t keep my tongue away from the sweetest part of you.”

Ledger swallows and I notice his tongue sweeps over his lips again, moistening them as his eyes fall to my mouth. The air between us is thick, like something unsaid has been lingeringinside him for far too long and it’s finally out there, humming like static in a space gone quiet.

And it feels like maybe…just maybe…he’s going to kiss me.

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