I sit there, eyes closed, while I wait to regulate my breathing. When I open my eyes, Andrew is watching me with heavy lids. He slips his hand free of my leggings and brings his hand to his mouth, licking his fingers without a word or one ounce of self-consciousness.

Before either of us can say anything, his phone rings from where it rests on the arm of the couch beside us. One glance at the screen has me cringing.

“It’s your brother.”

I nod. Talk about a bucket of ice water being thrown on an inferno. The energy shifts, and sensing that this is the end of any further intimacy between us, I shift to the side and slide off of Andrew’s lap.

Andrew lets the call go to voice mail and adjusts his length in his pants with a small wince. Whether it’s because he’s so hard it’s painful and he knows the moment has passed or that my brother in essence interrupted what was absolutely going to be the first time we slept together, I can’t be sure.

Suddenly I feel self-conscious, so I stand and find my bra, putting it on as quickly as possible, then grab my shirt and pull it over my head. “I should probably go. It’s getting late.”

“Kenzie—” He stands from the couch and pushes a hand through his hair.

I raise my hand to cut him off. “You don’t have to say anything.”

“Yes, I do.” He steps forward and grips my shoulders, giving them a small squeeze. “I know I said I didn’t want to move forward physically until we knew for sure that we could make this work. I’m sorry.”

I can’t help but scowl at him. “Andrew, I don’t regret what just happened. Do you?”

He shakes his head. “Not at all. It just must be confusing that I say one thing and do another. I’m usually a man of my word.”

A smile tugs at the corner of my lips and I run my fingers through the streak of gray at the front of his hairline. “I don’t regret anything. Except for the fact that my brother called.”

He chuckles and wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. “Good, neither do I.”

I nod. Enough said.

“Can I see you home?” he asks.

My head tilts and I frown. “Absolutely not. I can make it home fine on my own. Before you came along, I was able to fend for myself, believe it or not.”

He shakes his head. “Can I at least wait with you until you get on the tube?”

I huff, knowing he won’t give in until he gets his way. “Sure.”

He kisses the end of my nose before going to retrieve our jackets.

When we make it back out onto the street, I swear everything has an extra sparkly quality to it.