But Dare seemed on edge. All the panic and uncertainty flowed off him in waves. The sketchbook pages rustled under my leg, and I got it. To my core, I understood how scary it was to show someone a piece of yourself you kept locked away. My football player who could beat the crap out of anyone on the field was afraid of what I’d think about something that obviously meant a lot to him. My football player. My Dare.

After I’d taken him to the studio, he finally felt he could show me this. I looked up at him and brushed the hair back from his forehead. “They’re incredible. Thank you for showing me.”

His eyes slammed shut and he leaned back, pulling me with him. A shudder rippled through his chest. His blankets smelled just like him: a hint of the mint of muscle relief ointment and freshly folded laundry. Most guys probably didn’t change their sheets more than once a month, but his smelled like they’d come straight out of the dryer.

Our legs were still dangling off the side of his bed. My shoes were still on, but the nakedness of this moment and the vulnerability brought a tear to my eye. I ducked my head.

Resting my cheek against his chest, listening to his heart with his arms wrapped around me, I wanted to know this was real too. I squeezed him harder and snuggled in deep against his side.

He let out a contented sigh, his fingers tightening like a cuff around my arm to hold me closer.

‘Next’ was a scary word now.

Next had always been an escape to something bigger and better.

Now, next meant the loss of something I didn’t even fully comprehend.

The emotional overload took its toll, and my eyelids drifted shut. Only a few minutes. That’s all I needed.

I jolted awake.

Dare’s room was dark and filled with backyard sounds coming through his open window. Only it wasn’t sunset, it was nearly dawn.

I jumped up, running my fingers through my hair and scrambling for my phone. “Shit! Shit! Shit.”

Dare yawned and stretched like an oversized cat, rubbing his eyes. The sexy guy routine was blocked out by intense dread.

The screen only had one notification.

Mom: Saw your note. Be safe. See you in the morning.

I clutched the front of my chest and braced my arm on Dare’s wall to keep myself from falling over.

With adrenaline injected, trembling fingers, I sent my mom a quick message.

Her reply, filled with relief and letting me know she’d be home from work in a couple hours, shot a bolt of guilt through my chest.

Lies were stacking up on top of lies. It came so naturally now and that scared me. How long before I believed the lies I told myself?

Now that I wasn’t anticipating my own death at the hands of my enraged and worried mom, I took in the room and the bed. The one I’d slept in all night with Dare. His lips on mine had been hungry and demanding as ever, but also gentle and sweet.