Page 169 of Secrets and Lies
He chews on his bottom lip as indecision wars on his face.
“The twins and Rath will be over in about ten minutes,” I tell him. “If you want to do theJawswatch, we’ll go with them. If you’re not feeling it, they can go and we can stay here.”
“Your friends want me to come with them?” he asks slowly.
“Yup, although I recommend keeping Hazen in your line of sight at all times. He likes to grab feet or other stray body parts that are under the water and time it with the shark attacks on screen.”
“I will literally kick him in the face if he does that,” West says. “And I’m not being a badass when I say that. It’s just my natural reaction when I get grabbed and I’m not expecting it.”
“I’m not gonna lie, that would make all of us laugh our asses off because god knows he deserves it.”
“Are we dating?” he blurts, then slaps his hand over his mouth like he didn’t mean to actually say that out loud.
“Yes.”
He drops his hand, his eyes wide. “We are?”
I nod.
“Are you sure?”
I chuckle. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“But…”
I hold out my arm, and he immediately curls into my side and puts his head on my shoulder.
“I don’t understand,” he says softly. “You said this doesn’t mean anything.”
“I said it doesn’t have to mean anything,” I correct gently. “Not that it didn’t mean anything to me.”
“So this is real?” he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.
I brush a kiss against his hair. “It’s real.”
“I’m so confused.”
“I know.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because I was waiting for you to figure it out.”
He lifts his head and shoots me an unimpressed look. “But I’m like, the most oblivious person ever.”
I grin. “I know.”
He rests his head on my shoulder and snuggles into me again. “You’re an asshole.”
“Guilty.”
“So your friends really want me to come tonight, and they’re not just being nice because you’re making them?”
“They want you there,” I assure him. “And you overestimate my pull with them. If they didn’t want you around, they’d let both of us know in very loud and obvious ways. No one makes them do anything they don’t want, and that includes me.”
“This is so crazy,” he mutters. “Damon got in my head about everything last night, and I’ve been twisted in knots since you left my room this morning. I’ve been trying to figure out how to forget that I’m in love with you and go back to just?—”
“Stop,” I cut in. “Look at me.”
