Beg You to Trust Me (Lindon U #2)(94)

“I listen to everything you say, Blondie.”

That can be dangerous. “I tend to babble a lot, though. That’s got to be tedious.”

His lips stretch. “It’s amusing more than anything. So, do you want to? I’m dying to know if she says anything about the next books in the series I’ve been reading.”

The eagerness in his tone matches the excitement in his eyes. He already read the first three books and seemed genuinely upset when I said that was all there was so far. He distracted himself by searching my other books and reading the backs of them, then using my laptop to search pet stores that had turtles within a 50-mile radius of campus.

When we settle into the guest room, laptop propped between us on the bed and the video in question playing, my body eases. Our hands are folded together, feet touching, breathing in sync.

Ryan never talked about books with me. Most people I know aren’t interested in talking literature unless they’re English majors. In fact, it’s probably a good thing that Ali hasn’t asked to borrow anymore of the novels I brought back with me from Cali because Danny’s been going through them like he’s waiting for his next fix.

And that’s…God. It does something naughty to my lady bits that it probably shouldn’t.

“What did Caleb want earlier?” I ask during a YouTube commercial in hopes of sounding casual even though I’m feeling anything but.

There’s a brief pause before he scratches the side of his neck. “He’s just going through something and needed to vent.”

I frown. “I hope everything’s okay.”

His lips twitch, heavy contemplation weighing down his features. “Me too.”

I decide not to press. “Olive texted me saying Alex might be signing with the Canadiens. Something about an offer he’d be stupid to refuse.”

That changes his expression from conflicted to impressed. “That’d be great for him. I’d go to his state games.”

I snuggle up to him, wrapping an arm around his and using his good shoulder as a pillow for my cheek. “You’re a fan, huh?”

“I wouldn’t be able to fight Olive for the coveted number one spot, but I’m somewhere in the top 100.”

I smile up at him. “It’d be impossible to beat her considering their together.”

One of his brows quirks. “Is that so?”

My lips rub together. “Sort of. I mean, they’re together in the biblical sense.”

“Definitely can’t beat her there,” he muses, nuzzling his nose into my hair. “You’ve got that look again. What are you thinking about?”

What am I thinking? I’m thinking about Olive’s situation with Alex. How they’re basically doing the same thing we are. Alex and Danny are going away, graduating, and moving onto different things. Where does that leave us?

“Just thinking about Olive,” I murmur.

He hums, not calling me out of the little white lie. I’m grateful. I’m not sure I want to have ‘the talk’ with him and derail all the things we’ve been teasing each other with all day.

His next question is random. “When’s your birthday?”

“January 28. Why?” I don’t have to ask him when his is because I may have looked it up after we kept bumping into each other at the start of the semester.

His nose tickles the side of my face, then my cheekbone and jaw, before peppering light kisses along my skin until his lips wind up at my ear. “Just wondering. I want to do something special for it. Have anything in mind?”

I peel away to meet his eyes. He wants to spend my birthday with me? Granted, it’s not that far away, but still. “I haven’t thought much about it. Usually, I go somewhere with my family. A favorite restaurant. That’s about it.”

“We’ll be back for the spring semester by then if you want to go somewhere. I can bring my Jeep back, so I stop having to borrow my friends’ vehicles. We can go to Bridgeport or somewhere else. Anywhere. You name it.”

I melt into him. “You’re too good to me, Daniel Bridges Junior.”

“That’s sure as hell not true.”

It is, and I’m ready to prove as much.

Grabbing my laptop, I hit PAUSE and close it before moving it away. Understanding flares in Danny’s eyes as I move, swinging one of my legs over his lap until I’m straddling him. His hands go to my hips instinctively, his fingertips massaging my flesh as we lock eyes.

“Hi,” I say, almost shyly.

“Hi. Whatcha up to?”

He knows exactly what I’m up to. Moving a piece of hair behind my ear, I lean forward and brush my lips against his. It’s a soft kiss, basically a peck. His mouth follows mine, going for another, adding more pressure, and curling a hand around the nape of my neck and tasting my tongue.

I can feel him growing underneath me and smile against his mouth. My hands go to his hair, fingering his blond wavy strands and tugging him to my mouth. I roll my hips against him, remembering how amazing it felt earlier. I’m greeted with the same noise, too, making me repeat the motion and riding out the yummy friction.

Danny’s hands go to the edge of my shirt, hesitating at the hem. “I locked the door…” he murmurs, eyeing me as he slowly lifts the material up.

I give him a single nod, lifting my arms as he lifts the soft cotton over my body and tosses it onto the floor. He takes in the simple bra I’m wearing, fingering the underwire pushing up my breasts before running the pads of his thumbs over the pebbled buds poking out from the material under his heated gaze.