“How about you?” I whispered. “Think you can tell if I’m lying?”
She stayed so still. It made me wonder if she felt the same thing I did—like we were in a little bubble, one I didn’t want to burst with movement.
“I don’t know,” she said quietly.
“Let’s try it out.” I moved an inch or two closer and lowered my head so we were exactly eye to eye. “I think you are absolutely incredible.”
She swallowed. “I don’t know.”
“Truth. Let’s try again.” I moved another inch closer. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I saw you standing there with my luggage.”
Autumn bit on her bottom lip. “Lie.”
I shook my head back and forth slowly. “Truth. One more. I want to kiss you so badly it fucking hurts.”
She swallowed again and whispered, “Truth?”
A smile spread across my face. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
Autumn smiled back. And for a few seconds, I thought we were making progress, that she might actually give me the green light to suck on her beautiful lips like I’d been dying to since the moment she’d walked back into my life. But then I saw it happen. Whatever it is that holds her back hit like a flash of lightning. Her smile wilted to a frown, and she cleared her throat as she leaned back into her seat.
“That must be useful in your profession. Having—what did you call it? A bullshit-arometer?”
I kept watching her, even though she turned her head and stared out the window.
“Yeah, it’s helpful.”
“That’s good.”
She said nothing more. Apparently, our little game was over.
So I put the car in reverse and drove her the rest of the way home. The remainder of the drive was limited to meaningless small talk.
Autumn was quiet as I walked her to the door.
“By the way, I never thanked you,” I said.
“For what?”
“You saved my ass.”
“Oh?”
“After we hung up last night, I was able to call the client I’d fired and smooth things over. It was physically painful to kiss his ass, but I managed it, so I didn’t blow my shot at partner...yet.”
Autumn smiled as we arrived at her door. “I’m glad I was able to help, because I owe you quite a few favors. Thank you for everything you did today, Donovan. I feel like I say that to you often. I’m always thanking you for something—helping Storm, helping me find him when he runs away, helping me deal with my car today. You’re very…”
I raised a brow when she trailed off. “Helpful?”
She chuckled. “I was going to say you’re a very good friend. But yeah. You’re helpful.”
I tugged a piece of her hair. “Is that how you think of me? As a good friend?”
“Yeah.” She looked down, but nodded. “You’re a good friend.”
I reached out and touched the wrist of her hand currently fiddling with her earring. At first she was confused, but then she realized what I was pointing out.
Autumn covered her mouth. “Oh my God.”
I smiled and winked. “I can’t wait to make you say those words again soon, liar.”
CHAPTER 13
* * *
Autumn
Eight years ago
“One more.” Nick held the bottle of tequila out to me.
I shook my head. “No way. I’ve already hit my limit.”
My friend Felicia thumbed toward me. “Her limit is one. Give me that.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “I thought we were celebrating you kicking all our asses on the calc test.”
“We are. But I celebrate responsibly. You get blackout drunk and strip naked while standing at the drive-thru ordering Taco Bell, then get belligerent when the woman at the pickup window won’t give you your food.”
Nick grinned. “That was once, and that woman really needed to loosen up.”
Felicia and I laughed. “I think we’ve discovered the reason we’re celebrating my perfect score on the test and not your sixty.”
Nick took the bottle from Felicia and knocked back another long swig before handing it to one of his frat brothers. “Dance with me, ladies.”
I looked around. No one else at the party was dancing, but that never stopped Nick, and man, could he dance. I shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”
Nick made a big commotion about needing more space in the living room and then yelled to his buddy to turn up the music. By the time we were halfway through the song, most of the party had joined in. Nick stood in front of me and stuck his ass out, and I pretended to smack it. Felicia and I sandwiched him between us and gyrated our hips as we moved up and down. It was harmless—the three of us had been goofing around since we met at freshman orientation last year. Plus, Nick was more into our Calc TA, Ian, than he was Felicia or me.
We danced a few more songs and then sang along to a new Ariana Grande ballad while acting it out. At one point, I turned, pretending to be the girl in the song who walks away, and I happened to look across the room. My eyes met Braden’s. I blinked a few times. I’d had a couple of drinks, but that couldn’t be him. Though it looked exactly like him… Anyway, whoever it was did not look very happy. The guy stood in the corner of the room and made no effort to come toward me, even though he was very clearly staring. I motioned to my friends that I’d be back and headed toward the guy, wiping sweat from my forehead.