I took the freshly cut piece of wood and moved it to the base of the frame that I’d spent half the day assembling. And for the second time since starting this project, I had to toss yet another two-by-four to my pile of scrap lumber.

Measure twice, cut once.

It was a no-brainer.

Which did nothing but piss me off even more that I’d managed to screw up not one, but two pieces of perfectly good wood by cutting it too short. These were rookie mistakes, ones I hadn’t made since I’d first learned the trade. There was no reason for such stupid oversights.

Well, that wasn’t necessarily true.

There was a reason.

Her name was Kristy Richards.

I had no idea what had happened last night, or what I did that could’ve possibly pissed her off that badly. Everything was great one minute, and then the next, she acted like I’d killed her cat or something. I’d even sent her a text this morning just in case it was a misunderstanding, yet I hadn’t heard anything from her all day. It was all I could do to keep busy in my garage, though it seemed I couldn’t even do that right.

If I continued to measure or cut wrong, I’d be out of wood before the sun went down with a whole heap of wasted materials. I just needed to put the tools away, clean up everything, and call it a day before any more damage could be done. However, I doubted that sitting idle inside would be better—it would only lead to a different kind of destruction.

My only other option was to leave the house, which Dad didn’t care for, but at this point, I didn’t see that I had much of a choice. When he wasn’t home, he preferred it if my outings were limited just in case something happened, though he rarely told me I couldn’t go anywhere. Things between us had come a long way since I’d first moved in—back then, I was convinced I’d never see the light of day again.

After cleaning up the garage, taking a shower, and changing into regular clothes—that I hadn’t worn since school ended for the summer—I sent Dad a text, telling him I was heading out to grab something quick to eat, and then snatched my keys off the kitchen counter. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough, which was proven by the fact that I didn’t even wait for my dad to respond.

And as it turned out…I hadn’t left fast enough.

As I made my way down the front walk toward the driveway, Kristy stepped out of her garage. I noticed right away that she had on black pants with a white, button-down shirt tucked neatly into the waistband and the sexiest pair of red heels on her feet. It was clear she’d just gotten home from work.

I checked my watch, wondering how I’d lost track of time. I’d wanted to be gone before she drove up, but as I noted the hour, I realized she was home early. It was enough to make me hesitate, worried that something was wrong.

But then she took one look at me and froze.

Which was enough to end the hesitation.

Expecting her to run away or go into hiding, I continued toward my car, keys in hand and attention glued to my phone—there wasn’t anything on the screen, but at least I appeared busy. If she had something to say, she knew my number. She also knew where I lived. So if she really wanted, she could do this whenever, but that didn’t mean I had to wait around like a chump.

To my surprise, when I turned to open the car door, she was only a few steps behind me, her eyes wide, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say full of fear. I glanced at her feet, wondering how in the hell I hadn’t heard her heels on the driveway as she chased after me. That’s when I noticed her bright-pink toenails—the color was almost neon in the daylight, whereas it had appeared paler the other night in the dark.

“Before you leave, let me explain. It’ll only take a minute, I promise. But please let me set the record straight. I’ve been sick to my stomach all day worried about what’s probably going through your mind, and I can’t let this go on any longer than it already has.”

Her rambling was cute—slightly infuriating, yet nevertheless, cute. Still, it would take more than that to make me give in to the smile that threatened my indifferent expression. “Does this minute you’re talking about include the minute you just used telling me how sick to your stomach you’ve been?”

There was a slight roll to her eyes and a faint sigh that very likely could’ve been a well-disguised huff. Either way, she wasn’t amused by my apathy. “You’re mad, I get it.”

“I’m not mad, Kristy.” Slipping my phone into my pocket, I stared into her muddled, sea-green eyes and recognized hope…as well as worried hesitation. “I mean, at one point I was. But right now, I’m not anything. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to clear the air, yet you haven’t. So honestly, I’m over it.”

“I’m pretty sure I got a virus on my phone from searching sexting tips.”

Okay, so maybe staying and hearing a little more wouldn’t hurt.

Laughter bubbled within my chest, yet not the kind filled with uncontrollable humor. More like I’d just heard something funny even though that couldn’t possibly have been what was said. “What? I doubt that’s even possible…not to mention, why were you looking that up?”

“You started the conversation, and I didn’t want to look like the old woman who couldn’t keep up with the dirty talk. I’ve never done that before, so I didn’t want to say anything stupid or embarrassing.”

With her hands propped on her hips, she tucked her chin and stared at my shoes. She shifted uncomfortably on her bare feet, though it was pretty obvious it wasn’t uneasiness caused by this conversation, but rather physical pain, likely due to the scorching-hot driveway.

Unable to watch her punish herself a moment longer, I took her by the wrist and led her toward the garage. After punching the code into the panel on the side, I waited in silence for the automatic gate to life.

Once I had her out of the sun, I held her shoulders and turned her body until she faced me. Then, I lifted her gaze to mine with a finger curled beneath her chin. Her bright-red cheeks gave her away first, while the dark, haunting shade of green in her melancholy eyes solidified it.

“Why did you take off your shoes, Kristy?” That wasn’t exactly the question I needed an answer for; however, I couldn’t manage to form the other one quite yet. “You had them on when you got home—I saw you.”

“One of the heels got stuck in the grass, so I kicked them off. I didn’t want you to get in your car before I had a chance to stop you.” Nothing about her response should’ve made me pause, although that was exactly what it did. “I tried to call out your name, but it was like my voice wouldn’t work or something.”

I nodded, deciding to deal with what all that meant at a later time. “Okay, so can we go back to what happened last night?”

She cut her eyes to the side, attempting to look away, while her shoulders drooped with hopelessness. Had I not witnessed this woman show enough signs of humiliation to know the difference, I might’ve misread these as something akin to guilt. However, that wasn’t the case.

Finally, she released a long and full exhale, stared at the center of my chest for a moment, and then regarded me with a rawness I never thought possible. “We were texting, and I said I was…doing that thing.”

I held my finger over her lips to silence her for a second. “You’ve been very vocal since that day in the pool when we were alone. You’ve made no qualms about admitting exactly what you want from me. So don’t let whatever embarrassing thing that happened last night make you shy now. Don’t beat around the bush, Kristy. Say it like it is.”

After taking another deep breath, she straightened her spine to try again. And as she readied herself to be open and honest with me, I watched the spark come alive in her eyes once more. “I told you I was touching myself. Then the texts stopped. I waited and waited, but nothing more came through. I tried to tell myself that maybe you had gotten too excited, except you still never came back to say anything or wrap up the…whatever that was. So, I thought you got yourself off and decided you were done with me, and I got mad.”

“You didn’t get any of my messages?”

She rolled her eyes, as well as her neck, letting me know the story wasn’t over quite yet. “I started typing out my angry text, but the keyboard froze. Nothing I typed showed up. Then I reset my phone, and it took forever to come back on…that’s when all the messages showed up, including mine, as if they had gone through the whole time, but I couldn’t see them because of my screen.”

“Then why didn’t you text me back last night?”

“I tried, but nothing went through. I can open and close apps, but I can’t use any of the functions within them—at least, not the important ones. I took it on my lunch break to get it fixed, and they gave me a loaner while they send mine off to be repaired. I don’t have your number in this one. Apparently, it never synced last night.”

I took a step toward her, eating up every inch of space between us and forcing her to tilt her head all the way back in order to see my face. Even though I knew I shouldn’t touch her, I couldn’t help it. I felt compelled to reassure her, maybe calm her doubts and erase her hesitations. And I couldn’t do any of that without cradling her face or feeling her body heat burn along my torso.

“Only you, Kris. I should’ve known when you weren’t responding, and it should’ve been obvious when your text came through with random letters at the end. If anyone is capable of a sexting catastrophe, it’s you.”

“Gee…thanks, Ash,” she said with her voice full of mirth, bringing the glow and exotic teal back to her eyes. “Well, now that we got that out of the way…I probably shouldn’t hold you up any longer. I think I’ve taken longer than a minute.”

I dropped my arms and took a small step back, yet she never released her hold on the sides of my shirt. “I was just going to grab something to eat. I’ve had a shitty day and needed to get out of the house.”

“I’ve had a pretty crappy day as well…want to get something together?”

Just then, my phone vibrated from my back pocket. Pulling it out, I saw my dad’s text, telling me to let him know when I got back home—his typical response. However, it was enough to bring my head back to the moment, and it reminded me that I needed to play it safe with Kristy.

As much as I would’ve loved to tell her yes, put her in my car, and taken her to a sit-down restaurant, that would have to be something I planned—not a spur-of-the-moment decision. “Why don’t you go home and change your clothes while I pick up a pizza or something. We can eat it on my back porch if you want.”

Her smile erased every line of tension that had remained on her face. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.”

As I closed the garage door, I watched her walk through the grass, stopping only to pick up her abandoned heels, and nothing was sweeter than the sight of that woman bending over. I hadn’t lied last night when I told her I was an ass man—what I neglected to explain was that my decision had been solely based on her ass.

One thing was for sure…if we didn’t make it to my birthday, there was no way in hell I’d let her get away once I turned eighteen.

I was playing a dangerous game with Kristy, and at any point, it could blow up in my face. However, I had always assumed it would be Emma who blew my cover. And while I was aware my dad could’ve caused issues, I didn’t think it was much of a possibility.

Until a few days later when I came home from the hardware store and found Kristy outside talking to my dad.

My heart was in my throat as I pulled into the driveway, seeing them standing in the yard between our houses. Dad was still in his suit—I never understood how he could wear that without being soaked in sweat—which meant he’d just gotten home.

Luckily, when I stepped out of the car, Dad was too busy looking at me to see the smile on Kristy’s face, and before I had the bags out of the back seat, he had already started to head my way, walking away from the woman who had consumed my every thought.

He met me at the hood of our cars where he grabbed the handle of his suitcase and then followed me to the front door. “I didn’t know you had gone anywhere.”

I glanced to the right just in time to see Kristy round the corner into her garage. “Yeah, I’m building a center island for a kitchen, so I needed a few things. I didn’t call because I figured you were on the plane and wouldn’t be able to answer.”

“That’s fine. I was just surprised to pull up and not see your car.”

“How long have you been home?” I wanted to know what he and Kristy had talked about, though I didn’t want to flat out ask and make him question why I was so interested.

“Maybe two minutes. Enough time to meet the hot neighbor. Have you met her yet?”

“Uh, yeah. She was moving in when I got back from Mom’s house.” I tried to sound nonchalant, like it had slipped my mind until now. “Was this the first time you’ve seen her? She’s been here for almost a month.”

“I knew someone had moved in, and yes, this was the first time I’ve seen her. But since you seem to know more than I do…any chance you could tell me if she’s married?”

I balled my hand into a fist at my side, hating that I couldn’t do anything about it. “I haven’t seen anyone, but she has a kid—her daughter’s sixteen.”

Without another word, he nodded and took his suitcase to his room. I used the opportunity to go to the garage and text Kristy.

Just then, a picture of her cleavage came through, and that was all I needed to assure me that I had nothing to worry about.

Dad stayed home for almost a week. Thankfully, he hadn’t made another attempt to talk to Kristy. Yet that didn’t mean I’d had any opportunities to, either.

Considering she never got home before five thirty during the week, I couldn’t see her during the day. That meant the only communication we really had was over the phone at night. Between Emma being home that weekend, and my dad hanging around the house, I was lucky if I got to see her face through a window.

However, that had given me lots of time to plan a date.

It probably wasn’t the smartest idea, but I figured if I played it safe, we wouldn’t get caught. It was a Friday night, so she didn’t have to get up in the morning for work, and it was a weekend Emma wouldn’t be home. If I didn’t take this opportunity, another wouldn’t arise for two more weeks. And I couldn’t wait that long.

“Tonight has been nice, Ash.” Kristy had her fingers laced through mine as we wandered through the parking lot to my car. “But I still don’t understand why we had to come so far away from home just to have dinner.”

I smiled to myself and continued to lead her away from the building. In order to answer her so she could hear me, I turned my head to the side and spoke over my shoulder. “A customer told me they had delicious food here.”

That wasn’t necessarily a lie—someone had given me the name to this place, but that hadn’t been my reason for driving almost sixty miles to have dinner. She didn’t need the entire truth behind my decision.

“Well, they weren’t wrong. The food was amazing…and the bartenders were very liberal with the alcohol.” Her giggle drifted through the air and wrapped me in comforting warmth. “You could’ve ordered something more than water, you know. One drink wouldn’t have hurt.”

“It’s not worth the risk.” That was the same excuse I’d given when she had ordered her first cocktail, as well as when she’d asked for a refill. Being the designated driver was a good reason to stick with water, and it kept me from having to admit that seventeen-year-olds couldn’t order from the bar.

I came to a stop next to my car and clicked the unlock button on the key fob. But when I grabbed the handle, ready to open the door and let her in, she released my fingers and fisted the side of my shirt. And when I turned toward her, she seized the opportunity to take hold of the other side.

It was no secret that alcohol made Kristy brazen.

She leaned against the side of the car and pulled me into her body, and I went willingly. This was a dangerous game, and if I weren’t careful, we could both end up losers. But she made me weak, especially when she stared up at me with such vulnerability in her eyes.

I knew what she wanted, and while I couldn’t give it to her, I refused to see the rejection cross her face again. We’d gotten into an easy groove over the last couple of weeks, so it was natural for her to expect more from me now—especially after taking her on a date. Except, the issue still remained whether she was aware of it or not. Which prevented me from tasting her lips like I had dreamed of every night since meeting her.

Instead, I settled my hands on her hips and leaned into her, lowering my head to the side of her face. I buried my nose in her hair, filled my lungs with her scent, and mumbled, “Soon, babe. I promise.”

Her huff heated my neck, though I could tell it was more out of frustration than anger. “Why, Ash? I’m starting to think you’re doing this on purpose.”

With a low rumble of laughter, I pulled my face away and asked, “And what purpose would that be, Kris?”

“To make me beg?” She shrugged, yet she never dropped her gaze. “To see how badly I want you? I don’t know, Ash…why don’t you tell me the reason we have to wait so damn long. I’m not asking you to fuck me in the parking lot—although at this point, I doubt I’d stop you if you tried. All I’m looking for is a little affection. Something.”

I gripped her hips tighter and pressed my body to hers, pinning her against the car. “This is all I can give you right now. I’m sorry if it’s not enough.”

Kristy dropped her forehead to my chest and pulled in a deep breath. When she released it, her shoulders fell, and then she pulled away and found my eyes again. “I just want to know why. You said you wanted to get to know me…well, you have. What more do you need?”

This was not something to discuss in a parking lot at night, regardless that we were alone. I’d been well aware from the beginning that I could only pull this off for so long, and that at some point, I would need to come up with a better excuse. I guess I’d expected her to find out the truth before that happened. However, I couldn’t complain that she hadn’t discovered my age yet, which meant it was time for my backup plan.

I slid my palm along her cheek and threaded my fingers through her hair. Lowering my face so that our foreheads touched, I whispered, “Let’s talk about that on the way home. Okay?”

When she nodded, I forced myself to drop my hand and open her door. The last thing I wanted was to add space between us or make this night end sooner, but I didn’t have a choice. She’d twisted my arm by demanding an answer, and I could only pray that it was something she’d accept as the truth.

After I had her in the seat and the door closed, I rounded the car with my heart in my throat. It wasn’t that I didn’t have an excuse to offer, just that I wasn’t sure how she’d take it, and the thought of pushing her away created an ache in the center of my chest. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced, so I was lost at how to cope with it.

Silence filled the cab once I slid behind the steering wheel and started the engine. I hated it, considering we never seemed to struggle with words—especially over the last two weeks. Whether it was over texts, calls, or we were face to face, conversation always flowed easily. Most of the time, they were dirty and described what I couldn’t wait to do to her physically, but that wasn’t always the case. Now, I would give anything just to hear her breathe if it meant it would take away the uncomfortable quietness that had enveloped us.

As soon as I pulled out of the parking lot, I reached over the console and grabbed her hand, lacing our fingers together. It was enough to command her attention, drawing her out of whatever thoughts had consumed her—likely alcohol induced.

“I hate to say this, Kristy, but I’m not sure how else to explain it.” I waited to continue until I could feel her eyes on me. “You told me once about how you got pregnant with Emma, that you were too wrapped up in how much you liked sex to contemplate what could happen.”

“Yeah…” she prodded, which helped ease the struggle of getting this out.

Just because this wasn’t the number one reason to wait didn’t make it any less valid. “Well, I guess I want to make sure we don’t make the same mistake again.” Feeling her tense, I squeezed her hand and glanced away from the road long enough to look at her. “You aren’t the only one who has thrown caution to the wind for the sake of doing something that felt good.”

“What do you mean?”

Even though I knew this was something I needed to share with her, that didn’t make it easy to get out. My indiscretions made me who I was, and considering she’d shared hers, it was only right that I did the same.

“When I was fifteen, my mom kicked me out and made me live with my dad.”

“Oh,” she whispered, offering me a break before having to elaborate on the rest. “For some reason, I assumed you’ve always lived with him.”

“Nah. He and my mom split when I was seven. He moved here, and I stayed with her. When I was thirteen, my mom married a douchebag who made my life a living hell. I hated being around him, so I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. I did shit I never should’ve, especially that young, and I ended up getting kicked out.”

“What was so wrong with your stepdad?”

I took in a deep breath and answered as honestly as possible. “He married my mom after dating her for like three months. I’d barely spent any time with the guy before he moved in, so I didn’t even have a chance to form an opinion about him. Anyway, he was aware that my dad was never around, which he made a point to bring up any chance he could—he’d never met my father, yet he had some really foul things to say about him. And within a week of marrying my mom, he took it upon himself to play the role of my dad.”

By now, she’d shifted in her seat, facing me as if she hung onto my every word. “What do you mean?”

“When Mom wasn’t around, he would almost bully me into calling him Dad, which I refused to do. I mean…just because mine wasn’t around much didn’t mean I didn’t have one. Not to mention, I didn’t know this guy, and I was thirteen. It wasn’t like I was a little kid or anything.” Just talking about it made my blood boil all over again.

“I can’t imagine anyone making Emma call them Dad.”

“Right? It’s fucked up. But it was worse than just that. He used to tell my mom I was jealous that there was another man in her life, and that I was doing everything I could to get rid of him. It was all such bullshit, but it’s the reason I never wanted to be around him. That’s when I started finding ways to stay out or reasons not to be home. Unfortunately, that’s how I ended up in the back of police cruiser the night before I landed on my dad’s doorstep.”

“Wait, what? You were arrested? What’d you do?”

Thank God for the lack of lighting in the car. I didn’t think I’d be able to handle looking into her eyes while explaining this. I’d wanted to share it with her over the phone, where I wouldn’t have to see her expression or read the judgment on her face, but that plan fell apart when she nearly forced me to validate my “reason” to wait before getting physical with her.

“That’s a trick question, Kristy. I mean, I did a lot, but my mom never knew about most of it. She found weed in my room once. I told her I hadn’t smoked it, which was why I still had it, and for some reason, she believed me. And there were a couple of times I woke up hungover, although she never had proof that I was out drinking the night before, so she didn’t do anything about that, either.”

“And your stepdad didn’t have anything to say about any of it?”

I laughed and flicked the blinker without ever letting go of her hand. “He wanted me to take a drug test, but Mom told him that would only cause bigger issues and likely make me act out even more. I think he finally gave up arguing and just decided to let me dig my own grave.”

“So, what did you do that got you arrested?”

“I got pulled over for drunk driving.”

“You got a DUI?” Shock flooded her question as she leaned forward, her spine ramrod straight.

Even without seeing her, I could bet that she stared at me with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, which was precisely why I hadn’t wanted to tell her this to her face.

“Technically, but I was never charged. My uncle’s a detective with the sheriff’s department; if it weren’t for him saving my ass, I would’ve been thrown in jail. Maybe I should’ve been, who knows. By the time I woke up the next morning, my mom had my bags packed and waiting by the front door. I was at my dad’s before dinnertime that night.”

After falling back into her seat, she cleared her throat and said, “Sounds like you got lucky.”

Coming to a red light, I turned my head and chanced a glance at her, wondering how in the hell this could’ve gone so well when I had worried so much about it. More than anything, I saw intrigue in her eyes as she stared back at me—no judgment or condemnation like I’d expected.

I smiled while stroking her thumb with mine. “Not really. In order to keep an eye on me, my dad had to stop traveling, which didn’t make him happy. He ended up losing contracts because he couldn’t keep up with the onsite evaluations. I was pretty much on house arrest, and my prison guard was an irate father. To make matters worse, he had cameras everywhere—inside and out. I literally had no privacy.”

“How long did that last? Until you were eighteen?”

Oh…if only she knew.

“Uh, no. He stayed home for a year, and when I stopped giving him such a hard time, he started taking more onsite jobs, but he was never gone for more than one night at a time. He still had me under constant surveillance, as well as tracking my phone, so it wasn’t like I could’ve even done anything if I had wanted to. Eventually, I earned his trust, and he returned to work the way he had prior to me moving in. But that wasn’t until after I turned seventeen.”

Kristy covered the top of my hand with hers and lightly grazed my wrist with her nails “What does he do? For work, I mean.”

“He has his own consulting business, assessing the sterilization techniques at hospitals and then helping them improve where he sees fit.”

“Oh.” If she knew this had happened two and half years ago instead of the five or so she assumed, her reaction might’ve been different. “So then why didn’t you move back in with your mom when he started traveling more?”

“My stepdad.” That was the easiest way to explain, but after her open acceptance of all I’d told her, I decided to elaborate. “After talking about it with both of my parents, they agreed that if I lived with my mom and her husband, there was a chance I’d fall into old habits again.” I shrugged and continued the drive home on the nearly empty road. “Mom wasn’t happy, but she understood, and by that point, I think my dad just wanted me to get through high school without landing in any more trouble.”

“It must’ve worked if you still live with him.”

Even though nothing I’d said had been a lie, I still felt like shit having deceived her. “In all honesty, coming here was a blessing in disguise. I’m pretty sure the outcome would’ve been something far worse than a DUI had I not moved when I did.”

“Why do you say that?”

My throat closed, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from opening up to her. I only hoped this wouldn’t backfire once she discovered my real age. “I smoked a lot of pot—at least once a day—but that was just the tip of the iceberg. I was no stranger to coke, and mollies were my drug of choice on the weekends when my friends had parties. I’ve tried acid and took Oxys when I had them.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered, covering her lips with her fingers. But rather than cast judgment like I had expected her to, she said, “That makes me worry for Emma. I don’t think she’s doing anything like that, but I guess kids do lots of things that would shock their parents if they ever found out. And it’s not just her…I’m paranoid that her friends or boyfriend might be into this stuff, and she’ll get caught in the crossfire if something goes wrong.”

I so badly wanted to ease her mind. Emma didn’t even drink at parties, and I knew this because I’d heard Thomas tell enough stories during class that I might as well have been there. As for anyone else Emma hung around, the worst of them was more than likely Tori—and her issue wasn’t drug related. Nope, that girl just enjoyed riding dick.

But I couldn’t tell her any of that without giving myself away.

Instead, I quickly looked at her and smiled, hoping she could see it in the dim lighting of the dashboard. “I’m pretty sure if there was something to worry about, you’d know. But anyway, I told you all this because I wanted you to understand that I’m no stranger to acting on impulse.”

“So you’re saying you can’t kiss me because you got in trouble for driving drunk when you were fifteen?” She shot up in the seat and leaned over the console. “Wait…how in the world did you have a car if you couldn’t legally drive?”

I couldn’t stop the humor from rumbling out. It was enough to let me know that I hadn’t dug my own grave, even though I still held the shovel. “Uh, none of what I did that night was legal, Kristy. I had a learner’s permit, so it wasn’t like I didn’t know how to drive.”

She was quiet for a moment, and then she asked, “Why are you laughing?”

“Because…I was a fifteen-year-old snorting cocaine and popping pills, and you’re over here concerned about me driving without a license. I would think the other stuff is more disturbing than that.”

“True, but still. I’m not following how that means you can’t kiss me.”

That would be because she wasn’t aware of the legal binds that would put her in. Again, not something I planned to fill her in on. “It was enough to teach me a valuable lesson. There are consequences to us sleeping together, ones you probably haven’t given any thought to, and while I want nothing more than to be balls-deep in you, I refuse to create unnecessary problems down the road for either of us.”

“Okay, but I’m not asking you to be balls-deep in me.” Her voice had grown low, almost husky with desire that didn’t quite match her words. “I’m talking about a kiss or a simple touch. You can hold my hand and say some of the dirtiest things, yet you won’t go beyond that.”

Her breathing changed when I raked my fingertip along her inner thigh where she held our hands in her lap, but I acted like I didn’t notice and carried on with the conversation. “That’s because the line in the sand is nothing more than a bare thread, Kris. If I get too close, there’s nothing preventing me from taking it all the way. And I think it’s safe to say you won’t stop me.”

“You should try and find out.”

With my hand as close as it was to her center, I had to pull it away before I did something she’d never forgive me for. “That right there is the reason I can’t even kiss you.”

“For your sake, you shouldn’t wait too long—I just might give up.”

“If I were a betting man, I’d put money on the fact that you’re too invested to quit now.”

“Damn you, Asher Jenkins.”

All I could do was smile as I pulled into my driveway.