Page 98 of Wish You Were Mine
“I guess.” She nodded. “I do have strength and conditioning pretty early in the morning.”
But she didn’t move.
Didn’t budge an inch, actually. Just sat there, legs stillcurled under her, still close enough that I could feel the warmth coming off her shoulder.
Yeah, she didn’t want to leave, either.
Relatable.
Dangerously so.
Because Lucy was…addicting. The sound of her laugh. The way she tilted her head when she was listening. The way her blue eyes lit up when she was fired up about something.
Yep. I had a crush on Lucy Archibald.
And every second we spent like this, the harder it was to pretend I didn’t.
Still, I stood—slowly. Forcing myself to be the responsible adult, the responsibleprofessorI was supposed to be. I grabbed my keys off the counter and cracked the front door open just enough to point my key fob toward the parking lot and start my car.
I turned back toward her, grabbing her coat from where I’d draped it on the arm of the couch.
She sighed.
Yeah.Me too.
She didn’t need help putting it on. Of course she didn’t. Just like she hadn’t needed help taking it off earlier.
But still, I held it out for her.
Just being a gentleman. No ulterior motives.
She stood and stepped into it, slipping her arms through the sleeves. As she flipped her hair out from under the collar, a fresh wave of her shampoo hit me. Light and warm and impossible not to get drunk on. The same scent I’d been lowkey inhaling for the past hour on the couch.
She turned, her eyes meeting mine.
She was so beautiful.
“You should probably put your hood up when we headout.” I swallowed, my chest tightening. “Just…so it’s less likely someone recognizes you.”
Her lips curved. “Okay.”
I reached for my own coat, shrugging it on, then opened the door a little wider. “I’ll go out first. Make sure the coast is clear. You can just lock up and follow.”
“It’s like you’ve snuck around like this before,” she said, a teasing spark flashing in her eyes.
I laughed, the sound slightly more awkward than I meant for it to be. “Not quite.”
“Okay,” she said softly. “See you out there.”
I stepped outside, tugging my hood up against the night air, scanning the sidewalk and parking lot. A couple was just coming up the steps—Carla and Vince, who lived two doors down. I gave them a quick nod and kept moving, trying not to look like a guy sneaking his student out of his apartment.
At my car, I checked the area again, then pulled out my phone.
Me: Coast is clear. You’re good to come out.
And as I hitSend, I felt it again.
That tug in my chest.
