Unbreakable(24)

“No one can know about this, Em. Ever. Or it can’t happen.”

It’s suddenly very clear that Will’s in charge, and if I want this to happen, it has to happen according to his rules.

It doesn’t take me long to weigh my options: a few amazing nights surrendering to his sweet kisses, or pretending none of this ever happened.

I’m going with door number one.

I let out a breath. “Okay. Yes.”

“There’s one more thing,” he says softly.

I peer up at him through my wet, stringy hair and brace myself for what he’s about to say. One more thing. I can do one more thing. No problem.

I hope.

He takes my hands. “If you think we can’t go back to being friends when this is all over, then we need to get off this train right now. I can live with the secret and the lie, but I can’t live without you in my life. Understand? I mean it, Em. If you can’t handle it, you need to tell me now.”

“Why are you so sure that you’ll be able to handle it, but I won’t?” I ask curiously.

A troubled gaze flashes across his face, but it’s gone a moment later. “Because I know myself. That leaves it up to you.”

I swallow and glance down at the floor. Everything about this conversation feels so heavy that I’m buckling under the weight of it. The tension in the air is thick, and it’s hard to breathe.

“I’ll try, Will.”

He reaches out and strokes my face with his thumb. “I’m going to need more than that, sweetheart. You have to say ‘yes,’ or this ends right here.”

“Then the answer is yes.”

I’ll do whatever he needs. I can see on his face that he wants this as much as I do.

“Good.” He nods. “Now, we need some ground rules.”

And here I thought those were the ground rules. “Like what?”

“Have you ever had a relationship that was just sex?” he asks bluntly.

My cheeks grow hot. “Uh, no. Have you?”

“Once or twice.”

When he sees the surprised look on my face, he adds, “Not recently, though.”

He studies me a moment before continuing. “This is going to be just sex, Em. Nothing else. So even though we’re friends, don’t confuse the friendship with the sex, because they’re not the same. Me making my friend Emmy happy isn’t the same as me kissing Emmy, the hot girl I find attractive. Understand?”

“Yes.” I nod. “Okay.”

“We’re hooking up and exploring this attraction between us. Nothing else,” he continues. “And when everyone gets here, it’s over. We have a few days to get this out of our system and move on.”

Everything he’s saying seems so cold. I wonder if this is how puck bunnies feel. Not that he sees me as a puck bunny, but this speech is the equivalent of “get out of my bed when the sun comes up.”

In our case, the sun comes up as soon as our friends arrive.

“Is that what we’re doing? Getting it out of our systems?”

“Yeah. I guess so.” He runs a hand through his wet hair, but his face suddenly grows so serious that I wonder if he’s reconsidering this arrangement.

“This is going to change things between us, Em. It’s going to change everything. No matter how much we try, things will always be different between us if we go down this road.”

What he’s saying is true; I know it in my heart. But I’m willing to risk dealing with those changes in exchange for a sweet summer memory.

Still, the concerned look on his face leads me to my next question.

“Then why did you kiss me, Will?”





Chapter Eleven





WILL




Well, there’s the million-dollar question I have no f*cking clue how to answer.

Truthfully, I hadn’t had a plan when I’d gone after her through the storm. When she’d turned around, the vulnerable look on her face socked me right in the stomach. For once, I didn’t stop to debate the pros and cons. I’d simply reacted.

At that moment, the tortured thoughts that dogged me for three years completely stopped. It was nothing but blissful silence. The only thing I’d heard was the pounding of the rain against the pavement and the tiny gasp she’d made when my lips finally met hers.

When she’d kissed me back, her passion rivaling my own, I didn’t want to stop.

“Mav?” She puts her small hand on my forearm, and the vulnerable look returns.

“I kissed you because I needed to know,” I say finally. “I needed to know what I was missing.”

She looks up at me with those lovely green eyes, and this time I know there’s only one question she needs me to answer.

“I’ve been missing plenty,” I say, my voice thick with emotion.

Her lips part and her eyes widen. “Oh.”

It almost all comes pouring out of me—the need to tell her just how crazy I am about her. That it wasn’t just a kiss for me back there. It was three years of aching, overwhelming desire. Three years of needing to feel her in my arms, her body pressed against mine. Three years of wondering how her sweet kisses would taste. Now I know. They taste of sugary mint and fresh, ripe cherries.