way in hell I was taking him camping with me and Ani.
“I think Michael’ll be busy with other things.”
Ani grinned at me. “Uh-huh. Well, road trip with just us, then.”
“Yep. Just us.”
I pulled the keys out of the ignition and handed them to her. She hopped out of the car and was at my door before I could even get out. She leaned in and kissed me. My sappy heart thundered in my chest, and even though it was barely fall, I wished next summer would come soon.
7
“Are you sure your mom’s not going to be back until late?” I asked for the forty-seventh time while Ani straddled my lap in her jeans and bra. The window in her room was open, and I was sitting on the edge of her unmade bed. I’d come over to help her hang one of her paintings in her room. It was late October and I loved the way her skin got goose bumps from the cool fall air.
“Ben,” she said, nibbling tiny kisses along my jaw, “I’m pretty sure she knows we’re sleeping together. She’s probably known since the first time.”
I pulled her away from me and looked into her big eyes. “Really? But why would she know anything? We’ve always been at my house when my parents were gone or in my Jeep.” After I’d cleaned it out, Ani didn’t mind having sex in the Jeep. Which was good because our space options were pretty limited.
“Oh my God, you’re such a girl. Why do you think? ’Cause I told her, of course,” Ani said, and started back with her maddening kisses down my neck.
“You told her?” I pushed her back slightly and set her onto her lumpy green comforter beside me. “Ani, what the hell? When did you tell her?”
“After the cemetery. When you first asked me and I told you I had to think about it.”
“That was more than two weeks ago. How come you didn’t tell me anything about it before now?”
Ani took a deep breath and pulled her shirt back on. I almost reached out to stop her, but it wouldn’t have made any difference. I’d killed the mood of our hookup with my worrying. I fisted my hand in frustration.
“Ben, my mom’s not like your parents. She’s a single mom who teaches art. When you asked me to have sex with you, I thought I should get her opinion on the whole thing. I knew I wanted to, but we’d only been going out for, like, a month and sometimes my judgment gets a little skewed by your sexy baldness.” Ani ran her hand over my scalp and tingles crept down my spine.
“So you just put it out there?” I asked, hooking my finger into her belt loop and pulling her back onto my lap.
“I figured my mom might help me see through all the hormone drama so I could look at things rationally.”
“And what’d she say?” I slipped my hands beneath the edge of her T-shirt and traced my fingers over her hip bones. I had a hard time keeping my hands off her when we were together. We hadn’t even had sex that many times, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t stop touching her wherever we were. Her body rocked.
“She told me she thought it was too soon. She said she liked you, but she didn’t think dating you for a month was a long enough time to figure out if I wanted to give you that part of me.”
“Well, then, how come you slept with me?”
Ani tugged on my ears and pulled my face up to meet her gaze. “ ’Cause of your sexy baldness. I couldn’t help myself. I told my mom afterward and she said she was disappointed, but she’s a mom, that’s what she’s supposed to say. The day after, she put a box of condoms on my bed.”
“Annika, you’re gonna be the death of me,” I said as I slid my hands underneath her shirt to unhook her bra.
“No, I won’t. I’m the girl of your dreams,” she said, and licked the ticklish spot beneath my ear.
I pulled away from her long enough to remove both our shirts and flipped her beneath me. “Yes. Yes, you are.”
•••
I switched off the knobs of the icy shower in the locker room and snagged the towel from the bench next to me. Most of
“I think Michael’ll be busy with other things.”
Ani grinned at me. “Uh-huh. Well, road trip with just us, then.”
“Yep. Just us.”
I pulled the keys out of the ignition and handed them to her. She hopped out of the car and was at my door before I could even get out. She leaned in and kissed me. My sappy heart thundered in my chest, and even though it was barely fall, I wished next summer would come soon.
7
“Are you sure your mom’s not going to be back until late?” I asked for the forty-seventh time while Ani straddled my lap in her jeans and bra. The window in her room was open, and I was sitting on the edge of her unmade bed. I’d come over to help her hang one of her paintings in her room. It was late October and I loved the way her skin got goose bumps from the cool fall air.
“Ben,” she said, nibbling tiny kisses along my jaw, “I’m pretty sure she knows we’re sleeping together. She’s probably known since the first time.”
I pulled her away from me and looked into her big eyes. “Really? But why would she know anything? We’ve always been at my house when my parents were gone or in my Jeep.” After I’d cleaned it out, Ani didn’t mind having sex in the Jeep. Which was good because our space options were pretty limited.
“Oh my God, you’re such a girl. Why do you think? ’Cause I told her, of course,” Ani said, and started back with her maddening kisses down my neck.
“You told her?” I pushed her back slightly and set her onto her lumpy green comforter beside me. “Ani, what the hell? When did you tell her?”
“After the cemetery. When you first asked me and I told you I had to think about it.”
“That was more than two weeks ago. How come you didn’t tell me anything about it before now?”
Ani took a deep breath and pulled her shirt back on. I almost reached out to stop her, but it wouldn’t have made any difference. I’d killed the mood of our hookup with my worrying. I fisted my hand in frustration.
“Ben, my mom’s not like your parents. She’s a single mom who teaches art. When you asked me to have sex with you, I thought I should get her opinion on the whole thing. I knew I wanted to, but we’d only been going out for, like, a month and sometimes my judgment gets a little skewed by your sexy baldness.” Ani ran her hand over my scalp and tingles crept down my spine.
“So you just put it out there?” I asked, hooking my finger into her belt loop and pulling her back onto my lap.
“I figured my mom might help me see through all the hormone drama so I could look at things rationally.”
“And what’d she say?” I slipped my hands beneath the edge of her T-shirt and traced my fingers over her hip bones. I had a hard time keeping my hands off her when we were together. We hadn’t even had sex that many times, but it didn’t matter. I couldn’t stop touching her wherever we were. Her body rocked.
“She told me she thought it was too soon. She said she liked you, but she didn’t think dating you for a month was a long enough time to figure out if I wanted to give you that part of me.”
“Well, then, how come you slept with me?”
Ani tugged on my ears and pulled my face up to meet her gaze. “ ’Cause of your sexy baldness. I couldn’t help myself. I told my mom afterward and she said she was disappointed, but she’s a mom, that’s what she’s supposed to say. The day after, she put a box of condoms on my bed.”
“Annika, you’re gonna be the death of me,” I said as I slid my hands underneath her shirt to unhook her bra.
“No, I won’t. I’m the girl of your dreams,” she said, and licked the ticklish spot beneath my ear.
I pulled away from her long enough to remove both our shirts and flipped her beneath me. “Yes. Yes, you are.”
•••
I switched off the knobs of the icy shower in the locker room and snagged the towel from the bench next to me. Most of
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