Page 95 of Stealing for Keeps
“You’re smiling…like kind of a lot.”
“I’m smilingbackat you.”
“You are smiling as you do homework.”
“So are you,” I insist, laughing a little. I so do not get her point.
“Yeah, but that’s normal for me. You usually scowl more and insist we take snack breaks.”
“Ooh, good idea.” I get up and walk over to my desk. Opening the first drawer, I grab a small bag of chocolate chip cookies and hold it up. “Want one?”
“Do you have any Oreos left?” She unfolds her legs and walks over to me. “And would all this smiling have anything to do with Austin?”
“Maybe,” I admit. I rifle through the drawer, then say, “No Oreos. My studying junk food drawer is nearly empty.”
She peers in and frowns, then takes a bag of the chocolate chip cookies. I turn to lean against the desk as I pop one in my mouth.
“Umm, excuse me,” Lacey says, giggling and digging into the drawer again. “What is this?” She holds up a condom between her thumb and pointer finger.
My face heats, and I rip it out of her hands, toss it back in the drawer, and slam it shut. “It’s a condom. Duh. Did your dad not have the safe sex talk with you?”
With a snort, she shakes her head. “He handed me a book about the female body and told me I could always ask him anything.”
“It’s better than the ‘Boyfriends are a distraction to achieving your goals. They’re selfish and they only want one thing,’ talk I got from my mom when I started dating Vaughn.” To be fair, she had been right about the selfish part.
“Back up. Are you and Austin sleeping together?”
“No.” I quickly shake my head. “Andie gave it to me as sort of a joke.”
“But you want to sleep with him?” She studies me closely, and my blush increases.
“Yeah. Maybe. I’m not sure.”
“That does not sound convincing enough to be hoarding condoms.”
“Condom. One singular. And I don’t even know that I’ll use it.”
She takes her cookies back to the bed and sits quietly. Silence hangs between us.
“Wow,” she says finally. “I knew you really liked him, but this is big.”
“I do. I really,reallylike him,” I say, taking a seat back in front of her. “I know it’s cliché, but everything feels so perfect.” Emotion makes my chest feel tight.
“Babe, nothing is perfect.”
“I know that, but it feels perfect. All I want to do is talk to and kiss him for hours.” It’s only been a few weeks, but I’ve been falling for him for so much longer.
“And let him put his dick inside you.” One of her dark brows rises, and she aims a smirk right at me.
“Oh my god!” I toss a cookie at her.
She finally laughs, and the tight feeling in my chest loosens.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt again. I like Austin, but all the sneaking around…”
“It’s just for now.”
She doesn’t look convinced. “In a way, it feels like he’s pulling a Vaughn.”
