Occasionally, I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. His face is blank, showing no emotion. I wish he would say something. It’s not just his scent that I miss. I miss him. How is that possible? How can I miss something and someone I never had?

He walks me to the door, and once I’m inside, I hand his hoodie back to him. He throws it over his shoulder and turns to leave.

“Wait.”

He watches me expectantly.

“Just wait here.”

I retrieve his other hoodie from my closet and hand it to him, as well. He scoffs and walks away, and I watch his retreating back in disappointment. I know this is what I asked for, but as I watch him walk away, I feel like I’ve made an enormous mistake.

***Gage***

Fuck! I can’t think straight. Not after seeing her in the scraps of cloth she calls workout gear. Giving her my jacket was as much for me as it was for her. I almost came all over myself when I saw the outline of her pussy in those ridiculous shorts. That shit looked swollen. Fuck. I can’t go back to Ellen’s yet. With her hawk eyes, there’s no way she would miss my full-blown woody. I’ll just sit in my car and wait.

I don’t know why I can’t get this fucking chick off my brain! Whoever said pussy is pussy didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about. All the pussy I’ve had since I met her hasn’t made me forget. How can I forget the way she responds to me the moment I get close to her? The way she felt beneath me? The taste of her sweet lips? I get a hard-on every time I remember the way she said my name that night as I kissed her stomach. I felt like a fucking king when I saw my mark on her skin. I guess I have had it way too easy for too long. The first woman to turn me down is making me lose my shit. Or maybe it’s because I know I can’t have her – forbidden fruit and shit. Now I know how Adam must have felt in the Garden of Eden.

Fuck it. Damn it all to Hell.

I hop out of the car and before I know it, I’m on her doorstep, banging on the door.

“I’m coming!” she shouts from inside.

Fuck my life. I don’t need to hear those words coming out of her mouth right now. She slowly cracks the door open and peeks out.

“Yes?”

“Let me in.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

“Let me in, Raven.”

There’s no way I’m taking no for an answer. She opens it the rest of the way and allows me in. I try to concentrate on the task at hand, not the fact that she’s in her pajamas and looking sexy as sin, her wet hair hanging down her back.

“You can’t be here.”

“Why?”

“I’d be in trouble if Lonnie came home and found you here.”

She’s right. She’s underage, and as her guardian, her sister probably wouldn’t approve.

“I’ll take care of it.”

I pull my phone out of my pocket and text E.

G: Keep Lonnie busy for a few hours.

E: What are you doing, bro?

G: We’re just talking.

E: Ok. No worries.

“You don’t have to worry about her.”

I take her hand and lead her to the living room. She slips out of my grasp, putting distance between us as we sit on the couch.

“We need to talk, Raven.”

“About what?”

“Us.”

“Us?” she asks, in confusion.

“You and me. I’m sick of this hot and cold bullshit. I’m not leaving here until we come to a resolution.”

“There is no ‘you and me’. Resolved. Bye.”

“You keep saying that, but then I touch you and it’s a different song.”

She sighs and looks over at me with helpless eyes.

“Gage, please –”

I know what I have to do. “Just listen.”

I move closer and take both her hands in mine. She bites into her bottom lip and stares down at our hands.

“These last few weeks have been hell for me. I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re beautiful, smart, funny. Not to mention you turn me on more than any woman I’ve ever met. Obviously, we can’t be together yet…”

I place my finger under her chin and lift her face toward me. I need her looking at me when I say this.

“The only solution is for us –”

“To stay away from each other.”

“To date.”

We spoke at the same time, but I heard her loud and clear. She stares at me in confusion.

“What do you mean stay away from each other?”

“What do you mean date?”

Again, we spoke simultaneously. I take a deep breath and shake my head because even I can’t believe I said that shit, or what I’m about to say.

“I know what I told you. I’m not saying I’ve magically changed, but I’m willing to try. It won’t be easy for me, but I’ll try.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

“I like you. I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to say that about anyone. I’d rather explore that than let you go and regret it later.”

“How can you be sure you won’t regret exploring?”

That’s a good question. I take a long, hard look at her and for some reason, I doubt that I will.

“I won’t. Trust me.”

CHAPTER 11 ***Raven***

Trust me. I’ve heard those words before. Why should I trust him? Why should I give up everything for him when he’s not even sure he can do it? He made it very clear on the day we met just what he wanted.

“You keep forgetting one important detail.”

“What’s that?”

“Christopher.”

“He’s not important,” he counters.

“He’s important to me.”

“You said you don’t love him.”

“I do. And he loves me,” I answer, but my voice is lacking conviction.

“So you love him. Are you in love with him?”

As much as I want to say yes, the word won’t leave my mouth. I love him as a person, and even though there’s an attraction, it’s not like what I feel with Gage. Not even close.

“It doesn’t matter. I can’t be with you.” I pull my hands from his and head to the kitchen. I just need to get away from him. I can’t think when he’s close, and I need my wits about me.

“Why?”

I turn to see him leaning on the door jamb. So much for getting some space. “Because.”

“That’s not an answer. It’s obviously not the boy.”

He moves forward, backing me up against the counter and trapping me with his hands on either side.

“Is it the age difference?”

“No.”

And it isn’t. I haven’t even given a thought to his age. How could I when I can barely think at all around him?

“Is it the club?”

“Yes…no…I…”

“Talk to me.”

“It’s Lonnie, okay?”

Fuck. Why did I say that?

“What does she have to do with it?”

I take a deep breath and meet his eyes. For a moment, I lose my train of thought. They’re just so stunning; I could stare into them all day.

“Well?”

I shake my head and blink away the distraction. “She likes you.”

His brows furrow in confusion.

“She likes you, likes you,” I try to clarify.

His face relaxes and then realization sets in. Running his fingers through his hair, he takes a step back.

“Fuck.”

“What is it?”

“She told me a couple weeks ago that she wants to be an old lady, that she had her eyes on someone. Are you saying it’s me?”

I nod and he drops down into one of the chairs around the breakfast table.

“Fuck.” he repeats.

I sit opposite him, waiting to see what he’ll do.

“You know there’s no way in Hell that’s gonna happen, right?”

“I do. She doesn’t.”

“I’ll talk to her, set her straight.”

“You can if you want to, just don’t mention me.”

“That would defeat the purpose, wouldn’t it? I’m not hiding you,” he states matter-of-factly.

“There will be nothing to hide. I’m not cheating on Chris, and I’m not giving him up for some…experiment you want to conduct.”

“You’re not an experiment.”

“Oh? Then what am I?” I ask, eyebrows raised.

“I’ve been with a lot of women, and I’ve never even thought about doing what I’m offering you. When I said there’s something different about you, I meant it.”