Her question catches me off guard, mostly because I have no clue why I did it. I shrug my shoulders, unable to look her in the eye.
“Not sure, maybe because you covered for me that time I visited your place and snuck out to attend some party on Melrose. You said you wouldn’t tell, and I was never got caught, so yeah…”
She nods with a knowing smirk. “I was eight. I don’t remember much of it besides hearing something about Aunt Nikki chopping your balls off.”
Laughter escapes me. “They’re in tact, thank God.”
“Good to hear.” She chuckles softly. “Thank you, Will. And you were right. I shouldn’t have endangered myself by going to a club and drinking myself into a stupor. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“It’s okay. Sometimes we do things or act on things which have no rhyme or reason.”
Slowly, her eyes glaze over mine as she bites the corner of her lip. Standing just a few steps away, wearing my tee, I have this urge to reach out and scrape my thumb across her delicate lips. If she were mine, I’d lift the tee off, admire her naked form, then take her into my bed and own her.
Fuck.
Get rid of these thoughts.
“I’m going to get changed.” She breaks my stance, turning away, though her cheeks are flushed. “Thank you again, Will, for not mentioning this to my dad. It’s clear that he respects you.”
“That he does…” I whisper as she walks away. “That he does.”
I insist on driving her home since trains run less frequently on Sunday mornings. For most of the car ride, we talked about the past—funny anecdotes, some I remember and some I don’t.
“So, tell me, when did you realize that crazy stunts could kill you?” I ask with a grin.
She purses her lips, trying to hide her smile. “When I grew boobs and jumping off things became more difficult.”
My hands grip tight on the steering wheel. She has a nice set of tits, all natural and perky, the same type I jerk off to while watching porn.
Think of something else.
“Also, it just wasn’t as fun. I preferred to study. Andy found other interests, and then there’s Ava. We all know how that turned out.”
“How is your sweet little sister?”
“Sweet?” She laughs. “Sinful. But what Daddy doesn’t know, Ava gets away with.”
I pull the car into a parking spot out front and exit to walk to her dorm room, slightly curious to explore the campus since I’ve never visited. As we head toward the building she resides in, she stops and places her hand on my arm.
“Thank you, again, for saving my ass. God knows who I could’ve ended up with.”
I scratch my chin, watching her intently.
“You’re welcome,” I tell her. “But just so you know, there would’ve been no chance I’d have let you go home with anyone else.”
Lowering her head, she grins. “You think you could’ve stopped me?”
My lips part, an inward gaze falling to her mouth. Why the hell are you always drawn to them? Like a goddamn moth to a flame. A heavy weight inside my chest restricts my movements, which, fortunately, is for the best.
I lean in, my mouth an inch away from her ear, enough that she can feel the warmth of my breath. “I could’ve stopped you, don’t underestimate my power when there’s something I want which someone else tries to steal.”
Her breath hitches, the sweet sound sending a stir straight to my pants. Pulling away slowly, she turns around, and I follow her inside the foyer until she stops mid-step, and I crash into her.
“Austin?”
Leaning against the door is a younger man, though tall and athletic. He’s carrying a bunch of flowers, looking pissed that she has walked in with me.
“Who’s this?” he asks, with a slight grunt.