Page 53 of The Last Special Thing

He interlaced their fingers. “He was selling drugs.”

“Did you know?”

“I knew.” He squeezed her hand. “I told him not to. That’s why our dad left. He got caught up with bad people. He thought he was putting us at risk, and it was better to leave. I didn’t know what Asher was doing at first, but when I figured it out, I told him to stop. Told him it wasn’t worth it. But apparently, he disagreed. He was selling to a friend of mine behind my back, and that’s when he got busted.”

“I’m so sorry.”

He offered the flask to her.

She took it and raised it. “Here’s to staying far away from drug dealers and police cars.” After a generous gulp, she handed it back.

“Here’s to never getting caught!” He took a swig.

It took them half an hour to find the apartment. They stumbled together, making up stories about the sleeping homeowners. The small house with a white picket fence contained backyard Labrador breeders. The home with a Tesla out front was full of assassins.

When they finally made it back, the apartment lights were off. Art let them in, and Amelia pulled out her phone and texted Lauren, cringing at the time—2 AM.

Amelia

Be home in the morning

She turned off her phone, too embarrassed to want to be alerted to her mom’s surely disappointed response.

“Can I stay with you?” Amelia whispered to Art.

His smile took over his entire face as he led her into his room, then moved the drum set against the wall. He was wrestling the air mattress from the closet when Amelia said, “I’m going to get us some water,” and slipped out.

She opened the fridge with a soft creak, its light illuminating the space. She grabbed two water bottles and returned to Art’s room. After she drank half of hers, she set them both down, proud of her foresight to combat tomorrow’s hangover.

Art bent over the bed, fully inflated, and fastened the sheets to the mattress as it lifted. As he focused on keeping the edges in place, she began to undress. When he finished and turned around, she was down to her matching pink lace bra and thong. She offered him what she hoped was a sultry smile as she flipped off the light.

He moved quickly, stripping off his shirt and stepping out of his jeans, leaving them piled on the ground. Grabbing her by her arms, he turned her around. He guided her backward, step by step, onto the bed, towering above her. She stifled a laugh as he removed one hand to step out of his Captain America boxers.

His intensity filled the room, evaporating any humor.

His mouth crashed into hers, and she reached her fingers through his hair.

Sex on the beach had been magical, but the experience without the sand and open air was even better. There was a demand in his body, but as he brushed back her hair, he gave just as much sweetness. A dichotomy of beauty.

When they were finished, they stayed entwined. She drifted to sleep, lulled by his arms into a contented haze and the light sound of snoring.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Amelia squinted at the morning light. The mattress pulled underneath her weight as she turned. It had lost some of its air in the night. Art’s arm was slung across his face, forehead pressed into the crook of his elbow.

She took him in. The light highlighted a few stray freckles. His chest rose and fell, a peace she didn’t often see from him. She reached for her phone and braced herself as she turned it on. A photo of her and Madisson on her parents’ pontoon illuminated the background, and she swiped away to the homescreen. Her stomach dropped.

She expected a text from Lauren and had already prepared a series of excuses and apologies. It was even worse. Nothing. Lauren hadn’t responded at all. Amelia was used to pushing boundaries, but not going home and not letting her mom know was barreling right through them.

The mattress shifted again as Art turned over. She set her phone down and rolled to him. As she brushed her fingers along his cheek, he opened a blue eye halfway.

“I have to go.” Her voice was soft and regretful.

He opened both eyes, then blinked a couple of times. “I could make you breakfast?”

“No, I should go.” She smiled faintly. “More bacon for you.”

One day, they would have a full sleepover, complete with bacon, morning sex, and a walk on the beach at the crack of dawn. But today, she had to get home and make things right. While she and Lauren weren’t close, she was better off keeping the peace with her parents.