He doesn’t hesitate. “No, never. You have to be in a relationship to cheat.”
“So… you’ve just had casual… situations in the past?”
“Pretty much. Yeah.” Pausing, he looks me over, his eyes warm. “Which is night and day from what we’re doing, in case you’re worried.” He seems at a loss for words for a minute. “I don’t know how to explain it, but you’re different. Maybe it’s because I consider you a friend too.”
My mother always said she fell in love with her best friend. My heart gives a little kick at the thought.
He leans forward, and I feel his hand on my thigh under the table. “I’m glad we’re doing this, Gabby. I like hanging out with you.” Those lips tilt up, and he whispers, “That’s not the only thing I enjoy doing with you.”
My imagination runs rampant when I consider what I’d like to do to him. And, fine, it’s not a declaration of love, but for a guy who only does casual, he’s surprisingly forthcoming.
I don’t know how I deluded myself into thinking I could only spend one night with him.
Rider and I agreed to keep things low-key during the season, but no one said anything about feelings.
And I already have too many to count.
41
RIDER
When the professordrops the essay on my desk, I groan at the grade. Even when I try my hardest, I’m lucky if I get a C, and trying to type an essay while I bounce a fussy Poppy on my knee is almost impossible.
I really need to learn to type with more than two fingers.
The girl next to me, Waverly, grabs my elbow. “I can proof your next essay if you want.” She bats her extra-long lashes at me.
Suddenly uncomfortable, I glance down at the hand that’s still resting on my arm. “I’m good, but thanks.”
I’m not a pro at serious relationships, so I’m unclear whether it’s okay to allow random touches like this. Like, can I hug friends who are girls?
I guess that’s what Gabby and I are doing, right? A “serious” relationship. I hadn’t meant to dive into a full-fledged anything with anyone, especially right now when I have so much going on, but it felt wrong to have sex with Gabby and not commit.
Swear to God, having Poppy sheds a new light oneverything. What if one day some tool has sex with my daughter only to dick her around afterward? That little shit would be dead, compliments of my two bare hands wrapped around his scrawny neck.
So if I expect assholes to treat my kid with respect, damn, I gotta up my game. And that means I can’t just sow my wild oats. I need to settle down and not freak the fuck out over it. Even without Ben breathing down my neck, I know this was the right step to take.
Gabby is a wonderful girl, and I love hanging with her. She’s a good friend. We have insane chemistry. And I’ve gotten around enough to know that what we have is special. That seems like a great place to start. Like Tank said, I don’t need all the answers from the get-go.
Besides, when I think about other guys asking out Gabby?Fuck. That.I damn well want her all to myself.
Huh. That’s new.
I rub my hand across my chin. I’m not used to feeling possessive about a woman, but that’s definitely going on right now.
As class lets out, Waverly squeezes my arm again. “Want to grab some coffee? We could go over the next assignment and get a jump-start on the essay.”
If her eyelashes flutter any faster, she’s gonna take flight. I look down at her hand with a frown.
Since I don’t have the headspace to figure it all out right now, I’d better play this safe. Had her offer not come with the batting lashes, I might consider it platonic, but it probably isn’t.
“Sorry. Gotta run. But thanks.” I stand quickly so her hand falls away and make my way out of class before anyone else can stop me.
I’m meeting up with Bree outside the food court, so she can hand off Poppy before her class. Just as I’m heading over, though, I come face to face with Miranda, who gives me a wide smile.
“Rider! Hey!” Thankfully, she doesn’t throw herself at me like she did that day I picked her up from Archer. She grabs my arm, but quickly releases me.
Okay. That wasn’t terrible. She seems better with our boundaries now.
