If he was amenable. If they established the boundaries right from the start—made it about sexual tutoring only, made it temporary.

Della understood there were a lot of reasons why they shouldn’t. The last thing she wanted was to start something that could potentially make things awkward for them once he’d taught her all there was to know about the sexy times. And she certainly didn’t want to affect Arlo’s relationship with his best friend because things suddenly got weird between her and Tucker or people around town started to gossip and speculate and pressure them with a load of expectations.

But…it could work. If they both committed to it and it was done in secrecy, away from prying eyes. If nobody knew, then nobody could care, and the higher the chances things would get back to normal between her and Tucker when it was over.

Maybe it could even be wonderful?

It certainly felt right. Maybe it was just the night and the storm and his proximity, but it did. And maybe it was time for her to trust those instincts Selena had talked about and take a big, giant, flying leap of faith.

Rallying herself, Della sat on the edge of the futon, her ass very close to a solid, meaty thigh. Her pulse skipped a beat at both his nearness and the crazy thing she was about to suggest.

“Della?” He shifted his leg away slightly. “What are you doing?”

She took a steadying breath, the noise of the rain on the roof receding as her world shrank down to him and her and the words formulating in her brain. She needed to be calm and methodical and patient as she laid down her proposal. Her eyes sought his and locked. “Do you like me?”

He frowned impatiently. Dismissively. “Of course.”

“No.” She rolled her eyes. “I mean like me, like me. Not like me because I’m Arlo’s sister or because I’m someone who needed a friend or because I’m a valued customer or a fellow member of Credence society blah, blah, blah. I mean like me.”

He swallowed. “Della.”

Her gaze was drawn by the bob of that Adam’s apple, the funny little strangled hitch in his voice giving her hope. “Because I like you, like you.” Her own voice got a little strangled. “I’ve had a crush on you for a very long time now. And I think you might like me, too. I know that you don’t want to like me in that way, but I see the way you look at me sometimes. I remember how you told me I was sexy in that dress. Then there was the way you kissed me in Denver, which, by the way, I can’t stop thinking about. And the way you groaned just now? Tuck, I felt that all the way down there.”