I smiled back. “Wait, I thought I needed to drive you back to your car at City Place.”

“Nah. I’ll bus it over there or have my girl pick me up. Catch you guys later.”

Faster than I could blink, she was gone.

It got really quiet after she left, though the tension in the air was practically audible.

Raven faced me. “What the heck happened? One second she’s calling me ratting you out for being on a date. The next, you two show up at my house together like you’re best friends. Then she randomly comes out?”

“We bonded pretty quickly during the ride. We determined we had a lot more in common than she’d thought, and also that I am not, in fact, the devil. So we made a lot of progress in a short amount of time.”

“And you guys are hanging out now, too?”

“Yeah, but you’re welcome to come,” I teased. But things were still serious here. “I have to explain why I was with that girl.”

Her tone was bitter. “No, you don’t. I’m not your girlfriend. You don’t have to explain anything to me.”

“Okay, but I want to.”

She shrugged.

I spent the next several minutes telling her about my agreement with Weldon.

After I’d finished, she shook her head. “God, your brother is such a dick.”

“Yeah. I totally agree. But I thought it might be worth it if it would get my mother off my case for a while.” I moved a few steps closer. “I haven’t been able to think straight since our kiss the other night.”

She tensed and moved back. Something was off.

My heart sank. “Raven, what’s up? Talk to me.”

She looked down at her feet for a moment. “I’ve done a lot of thinking since that night in your car. As much as I loved kissing you, Gavin, I still don’t think it’s a good idea for us to go any further. I’m not the kind of girl who can mess around with someone for the summer and not get attached. Not to mention, my mother saw us—well, not what we were doing—but she saw your car. She knows I was out with you.”

I shut my eyes. “Shit.”

“She didn’t tell me not to see you again, but I saw the fear in her eyes. She’s worried about her job, and I don’t want to put that kind of stress on her. I just don’t see how this could work.”

My gut felt empty, as if everything had been yanked out. I’d gone from feeling like I was walking on air the past couple of days to this.

How could I argue with her, though? She was right on every level. I couldn’t keep pushing this if it was only going to end badly.

Sitting down on the couch, I pulled on my hair in frustration. “This fucking sucks.”

“I know.”

“How am I just supposed to forget what kissing you felt like? And it’s not just that. I like your company. I love being around you.”

A pained look crossed her face. I knew she wasn’t happy with her decision, either.

“Well...we could still hang out, I guess. Maybe if Marni came along, it would be a little easier for us not to cross the line.”

That sounded absolutely fucking miserable. I didn’t want to hang out casually with her when she was all I could think about.

“This blows, Raven. Seriously blows. But I get it.”

She looked down at her phone. “Shit. I have to go.”

I stood up. “Where are you going?”

“I have jiu-jitsu.”

“Oh. Cool.” I’d always wanted to see her in action. “You mind if I come watch? I’m really curious.”

She hesitated. “I’m not sure I can concentrate if you’re there.”

“I promise I’ll stay out of the way. You won’t even notice me.”

Raven took a moment to think. “Okay.”

Yes. “Your mom’s at work, right? How do you normally get there?”

“I walk. It’s a couple of miles.”

“So, if I drive you, you don’t have to leave right this second?”

She cracked a smile. “Correct.”

“Let’s go grab coffee, and then I’ll take you.”***After we went to Starbucks, I drove her to the studio and took a seat in the corner. It was so freaking cool to see Raven in her element, dressed in her white kimono.

The instructor split the class into pairs. Raven was teamed up with a guy who was pretty big and looked a few years older than me. Watching her get physical with him sucked, especially since she’d pretty much ended us earlier. I never took myself for the jealous type, but this hit me hard.

I learned a shit ton just by watching her, though—how she controlled her distance and why that was one of the key elements of jiu-jitsu. My jealousy aside, it was fascinating to watch Raven up against someone so much bigger. As she’d told me, technique seemed to matter more than the size of the opponent.

Tags: Penelope Ward Romance
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