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“We’re here now. You have to make the best out of it, Kee-Kee,” he mocks.
“Shut up.”
“You never once told me that was your nickname,” he chuckles. “It’s adorable and fits my little grump perfectly.”
My little grump.
God, what are the two of us doing?
“Maybe we could start with a little fun.” He grins, his eyes locking onto mine.
“What kind of fun did you have in mind with our parents sitting several feet below us?”
“Why is your mind always in the gutter?” he laughs. Then, without warning, he grabs a pillow and playfully swats me with it. “Pillow fight!”
I cackle, grabbing a pillow of my own and swinging it at him. We tumble across the bed, laughing and dodging each other’s attacks. The room fills with the sound of our laughter, the tensions of earlier melting away.
After a few minutes, we collapse onto the bed, breathless and giggling. Shane props himself up on one elbow, looking down at me with a smile that makes my heart skip.
“See? Isn’t this more fun than studying?” he asks, his voice soft.
“Okay, you win.” I nod, still catching my breath. “This is definitely more fun.”
He reaches out, brushing a strand of hair from my face. “You have the most beautiful smile, you know that?” he says, his tone suddenly serious. “I love seeing you happy.”
I look into his eyes, my heart swelling with emotions I wish weren’t there. He leans in, his lips just a breath away from mine. “Do I make you happy, Kennedy?”
“This might be an appropriate time to mention the last and final rule of our arrangement,” I say, staring uncomfortably at my bedroom door. We made a lot of noise playing around up here. My dad could walk in at any time, and there’d be no hiding what he’d see. It’s all over my face whenever I’m around Shane.
I’m falling hard for this guy.
How did I let this happen?
“You’re always running from me,” he says solemnly. “Do you want me to lock the door?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“What’s your new rule then?” he asks, clearly exasperated with me.
“Keeping our distance from each other when we’re in my house,” I whisper.
“Then we’re going to have problems because keeping my distance from you is not one of my strengths.”
Shane gives me one of his infamous looks that makes my core tremble.
“Shane,” I warn, more for myself than him.
“Kennedy,” he whispers, his voice husky. “I don’t want to hide anymore. I want us to be together, openly.”
His words send a pang of fear through me. I pull back slightly, searching his eyes. “Shane, you know we can’t.”
He sighs, sitting up and running a hand through his hair. “I know youthinkwe can’t, but it’s been months. We can’t keep sneaking around forever.”
“We can’t?”
“No, we can’t,” Shane’s expression hardens.
I sit up, hugging my knees to my chest. “So you’re ready to go downstairs and tell your mother all about us because I can guarantee you that my parents will never accept it. My father may even try to kill you. What will that do to her?”
