Page 99 of Read Me (Forget the Past 2)

“Are you okay?” Summer giggles as she asks the question, combing her fingers into the hair at the nape of my neck.

All I can manage is a shake of my head.

“Ah, my vampire powers of seduction are already working, it seems.” Then she puts on a horrible Transylvanian accent. “I vant to suck your blood! And your dick!”

I’m laughing, and groaning, and fighting off the fear that she’ll walk away from me.

I can’t tell her.

Not yet.

I just need more time.

When I’m sure Summer loves me, I’ll find a way to crack myself open for her. Something I’ve never done with anyone before. For her though, I swear I will.

But I won’t risk scaring her off when she’s still far enough away to leave me.

“Cole. We’re on a public sidewalk, and you have your face in my boobs. This is not the smooth seduction of vampire lovers. Paranormal romance authors across the globe are cringing.” Even as she chastises me, I hear a smile in her voice and feel the scrape of her nails down the back of my neck.

Fuck the world, I want to say. If I could spend the rest of the day on my knees, worshiping her, I would.

But then she might think sex is all I want.

And I do want it. Especially when she’s in this getup.

Still, I need more from Summer than just her body. I want every piece of her to be tied to me. Which is why I’m taking her out on a date. Drinks, food, walking around with her in public.

Then I’ll bring her back to my place and smear her lipstick.

With that image bright in my head, I stand, eager to start our evening together. Meeting Summer’s gaze, I pick up a slight amount of apprehension, and I realize I haven’t said anything since she walked out of her apartment.

“You’re perfect.”

A blush spreads, along with a pleased smile, and I swoop down to steal a kiss before guiding her to my truck.

Once seated, I slip my key into the ignition.

“Wait.” Summer places her hand over mine to stop me from starting the engine. “Before we start the fun part of the night, I thought we could get the finance stuff out of the way.”

Finances? Does Summer want to talk about splitting the bill? Because it’s not happening.

“Here.” She pulls out a binder from her floppy purse and hands it over to me.

“What’s this?”

Summer flips open the front cover, and I see a series of colorful tabs. “Your new financial plan. Or, a few plans, based on how much you’re able to pay each month.” She leans over my lap, turning to the first section. “This is the total owed when you combine everything, but it doesn’t all need to be paid at once. The bills with higher interest and penalty fees are toward the front. You’ll want to take care of those first. Also,” her dark-painted nails pinch the mass of papers, taking me to the last page, “if the monthly payments still seem like too much, these are a few non-profit organizations that specifically help with managing medical debt. Give them a call and you might qualify for some assistance.”

As Summer calmly lays out how to address a number figure that threatened to ruin my life, I imagine a hand plunging into raging waters, pulling out my drowning form as I cough and sputter. There’s riot of emotions mixing in my chest. Fear of the amount my dad owes. Shame that I’m the cause of it and that Summer has to see my dad’s struggle. Gratitude that she would step in to help untangle some of the mess. Awe that she’s willing to do all this for my family.

With care, I close the binder and place it on the seat between us. Then I cup the back of her head, pulling Summer in for a searing kiss before whispering against her lips, “Thank you.”

And a stray thought spikes through my mind.

The past should stay in the past. Maybe I’ll never have to tell her.

Chapter Thirty-Three

SUMMER

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