She glances at her phone. "Do you have somewhere to be?"

She shakes her head. "No, just checking the time. No plans tonight." She lays back and her head nuzzles into my neck.

I'm surprised how easy this is being with her. My incessant need to come up with an excuse to keep her by me when I used to run girls out. Sometimes I'd let them stay the night, but that was only usually when I wanted them again. Not like Paige; my own arousal peaks watching her get off instead of the other way around.

"Yes, you do."

Her eyebrows scrunch up in confusion.

"I'm taking you to dinner." I grab my phone from the nightstand and check to see it's five o'clock now. "Be ready at seven."

"Seven?" she questions, and a light glows in her eyes. I nod. "Okay."

"Nothing fancy. Jeans will do."

The fact I'm not taking her to some five-star restaurant doesn't appear to bother her. She abruptly leaves my arms and begins throwing her clothes on again.

"Where are you going?" I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed.

"I have to get ready." She rushes back over to me and I stand up, backing her up to the wall. "No seducing. It's time consuming to look good."

"Nah, I could eat you right now." Her body shivers and I inch closer, encasing her body with mine. "You're beautiful, every minute of every day."

I brush my lips to hers and suck her bottom lip into my mouth, nibbling on it slightly and she moans. Breaking the kiss fast before I shove her down on the bed again, I step back. "Now, you can go."

Her shoulders fall to the wall and her eyes are hooded with arousal. "Seriously?" She kicks off the wall, her shoes hanging from her fingers. "Tease," she tosses over her shoulder. I smack her a.s.s and she jumps.

"Takes one to know one." Her head shakes in a slow motion.

"See you later." Her eyes flow down my body and then swiftly come back, stopping right at my d.i.c.k that's about to tent my boxers. Her tongue snakes out and swipes her lips. I watch her inhale a deep breath, arching her back to stick out her t.i.ts at me.

"Get out, Paige." I point to the door and she giggles and shoots me a cheesy grin. She got me back and we both know it.

Her hand lands on the doork.n.o.b and she creaks the door open, peering down the wall. She shakes her a.s.s before, slipping through and leaving me.

d.a.m.n, I'm screwed.

IT'S UNUSUAL SHARING a bathroom with your date for the night. Although, after Paige showered, she's been locked up in her room. After she snuck out, I went downstairs to find Chrissy propped up on the couch with a book between her legs. Dex was nowhere around, which hasn't been out of the realm lately. He mentioned the other day about having to start sending resumes out and making sure after he graduates he's set to take care of him and Chrissy. Which only makes my own mind linger about my future and what I want.

The garage is nice, but I don't want to work on cars the rest of my life. As it is, it's not as exciting working on my own now after working on other people's all day. That excited flutter doesn't fester in my stomach when I clock in anymore. Going to the auto part store is more of a task than a fun trip. Back in the day, I would stroll down each aisle, talk to the other guys about new gadgets or add-ons. Now I go in, grab my s.h.i.t and leave.

Even though my dad ruined fixing cars up for me by sleeping with my G.o.dmother, that love is still rooted inside of me and I want to carry that on someday if I'm ever blessed with a kid. Just because my dad destroyed the memories he made with me all those years growing up by refuting the man I thought he was, doesn't mean I'll do the same.

"What's up?" I sink down in the chair opposite her and she glances my way.

"Hey." She highlights a line and concentrates on her book.

"Listen." I prop my feet on the coffee table and cross my ankles. "We have a good friendship, right?"

She inspects me from the corner of her eyes and then back down to her book.

"Yeah."

"You would never murder me, right?" She gives me that glance from the corner of her eye again.

"No."

"Ever?"

"No. What's this about?" The highlighter rolls into the bind of her book and she shuts it, giving me her full attention.

"Can you leave at seven? Go over to Sadie's."

I've seen Chrissy mad, I've seen Chrissy sad, but I've never seen this side of Chrissy. Her jaw c.o.c.ks to the side, her teeth grinding against each other.

"Why?" The word comes out slow.

"No murder, right?" I clarify again, but no laugh escapes her mouth.

"Rob." She's losing patience with me.

"I may have a date."

"With?" She knows the answer before I expose the name. Chrissy and I have a friendship and I don't want to ruin it by keeping Paige a secret.

"A girl." I chuckle, she doesn't.

"Does the girl live here?" Her eyes bore far into me; I fear lasers are about to zero in on me and fire.

"Yes." Simple and it's out there. Done.

"Rob, is this your sly way of asking me out?" She brings humor in, but then her face straightens. "I asked you not to touch her."

"Chrissy." I break the distance, moving over to the couch. I pick up the book and place it on the coffee table so I can be closer. "It's a date, not a suck me off in my room."

I'm honest with her because last year we bonded over her own troubles. I know she's someone I can trust.

"You actually like her?" She's not as angry as I feared she might be.

"Yeah." The word is straight and low, but hopefully it reveals the conviction.

"Where are you taking her?" I want to jump up, yank her up to her feet, and wrap her in a big bear hug for not being b.i.t.c.hy about this.

"To Cleveland. Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Museum." A slow smile creeps up Chrissy's lips.

"A date. That's perfect."

"Really? We have to jet up there though. It's only open until nine."

"You figure it's a half hour away, you'll have an hour and a half. That's plenty."

"So, you aren't mad at me?" I ask her.

She pokes her finger into my chest. "I should be. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," I sigh.

"But you need to find love." Her arms move to wrap around my shoulders and she kisses my cheek. "I like you like this."

"Is this what happens when I'm gone?" Dex trudges in, eyeing me on his way to Chrissy. "Find your own girl," he jokes and Chrissy releases me, rising to her feet up to Dex.

"Don't worry baby, he found her." She giggles and I get up, shaking my head.

"What? Who?" Dex holds Chrissy tight in his arms, kissing her neck.

"Paige," Chrissy whispers loud enough for me to overhear.

"Nice, Chris." I begin to leave the room, but I should have been prepared for a call out from Dex.

"Who would have ever guessed? Rob Winters falling for a girl? Thought I'd die before that happened." I flip him off, not gracing him with my p.i.s.sed off face.

I leave the room, not wanting to hear the bulls.h.i.t from their mouths. When I run up the stairs, I hear a blow-dryer going in Paige's room. Sneaking into the bathroom, it's time I prepare to look mouthwateringly delicious for our date.

A HALF HOUR later, I'm spraying some cologne on when the back door shuts. My phone chimes a minute later.

Chrissy: We're gone.

Me: Thanks. I owe you one.

Chrissy: More than one, but who's counting.

Me: You I guess.

Not wanting to wait, I step out into the hallway and falter back when Paige emerges from her bedroom. Tight a.s.s jeans, a too loose of a shirt for my liking, but her f.u.c.k me heels make up for no cleavage. All my restraint is tested to not say screw the museum, let me explore you.

"You ready?" I ask, breaking the distance between us.

She shifts her stance and fiddles with her purse swung over her shoulder.

"Yeah." I love when her voice shifts to shy and timid. Even though, I know without a doubt Paige is comfortable in her own skin, I affect her and something about that thrills me.

Unable to keep my hands off her, my hand cups her cheek and she lays into it like she always does. "Sometimes I struggle looking at you." Her lips falter and I realize my mouth slipped before my head filtered it. "You're so beautiful . . . gorgeous . . . s.e.xy." Her lips flip back up and I inhale a relieved breath.

"Keep going." The smile on her face signals she's joking.

"You're like the sun, so bright and warm, it's hard to stare right you."

She laughs. "Let's stop with the lines. Beautiful is sufficient."

She breezes by me and then stops when I don't follow.

"Sorry, poetry and romantic s.h.i.t isn't my forte." I focus on the carpeted floor beneath my chucks.

Her footsteps rush back to me like I knew they would. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

I peek my eyes up to her with a Cheshire grin splashed across my face.

"You a.s.shole." She swats at my chest and I grab her wrist before she can escape.

I spin her fast, slamming her body against the wall. With my one hand pinning her wrist to the wall, I lean in. My lips don't wait for permission. My tongue snakes out and licks to part her lips. It dives into her mouth and her tongue meets mine with the same intensity. Melding my body flush against hers, she wiggles under me just like hours ago. The way her body responds is so f.u.c.king hot, I can't get enough.

Tearing away, I back up, entwine our hands and lead her down the hall. She wobbles behind me and then catches her footing.

"Um . . . I'm going to need you to refrain from making my panties wet before the date."

I stop us at the landing, awaiting the date I planned for her. To show her she isn't the f.u.c.k buddy I originally pegged her as. That she's more. That she's mine. My eyes rake over her body and my heart picks up a faster beat.

"What?" she asks, crossing her legs and I hope it's from the heat from my eyes surging her to the core.

"You're too tempting, baby. Let's go."

Before I have a chance to second guess my decision to leave the house, I usher her forward to descend the stairs. The creaks from the old staircase echoes on the walls, it's eerily quiet and makes me want to scream just to fill the air.

"Where's Chrissy and Dex?" Her voice is shy and timid when she stops and spins around at the bottom of the stairs.

"Out." I grab her hand again, unable to stop from fondling her. My body craves having her warm heat mixed with mine.

"Oh. Do you think they suspect?"

"I told Chrissy."

Her feet freeze in the doorway from our living room to our kitchen and she yanks my arm.

"What?"

I twist around and give her my undivided attention, figuring I probably should have talked to her about that. "Chrissy helped me last year. She's one of the people who dragged me up from the bottom of the s.h.i.t storm. I couldn't keep it from her and I knew she'd understand if I told her straight."

"She's okay with it?" Relief floods her face.

"Yeah." I watch her shoulders deflate.

"Oh, good. I didn't want her to hate me, you know? She's a good friend." A small smile forms on her face and I'm thankful I didn't f.u.c.k this up before it even started.

"That she is." I glance to the door and back to her. "Let's get out of here."

She nods and I lead us on our date. I lock the door and she waits behind me like this isn't her house, too. When we get to the Mustang, she stays back, allowing me to open the door for her. By the time I climb in myself and move to insert the key into the ignition, she's twisted my way. When my eyes dart to her, her head bolts to the side.

"What?"