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His brow crumpled as he thought. “I know youhaven’t been in a serious relationship before. I won’t ask you howmany sexual partners you’ve had—”
“Good, because after the other night I don’tknow,” I joked.
I hadn’t known before the other night,anyway.
He smiled but turned serious again. “And Iknow about your family, through Scott. I suppose my biggestquestion is about living arrangements in the future.”
“Like…” Did he mean we were going to moveright in together? He’d done it before, if I’d heard himcorrectly.
“Like what happens when we decide tocohabitate.”
When. Not if.
“You live in California. Your friends are inCalifornia. My life is spread all over the East Coast. Which one ofus compromises?” He wasn’t asking for an answer, I could tell. Justmusing aloud about a problem that, with another person, a settledperson who knew exactly what they planned to do with their life,could have swiftly made being in love pointless.
“Hmm, do you uproot your businessheadquarters and your apartment and that famous restaurant you owna huge stake in?” I ticked them off on my fingers. “Or do I leavebehind my lucrative dispensary job and the luxurious accommodationsafforded by my parents’ pool house?”
He gave me a bashful laugh. “Fair enough. Ididn’t want to assume.”
“That’s in the future, though,” Istressed.
“Absolutely. I don’t expect you to move inwith me right this second.” He patted his chest in an invitation Icouldn’t turn down. I snuggled up to him and sighed with acontentment that felt dangerous to the part of my brain convincedthat he couldn’t really love me.
Would it be so bad to believe he was in lovewith me? That he wouldn’t change his mind suddenly and throw me ona plane back home? Scott had been so concerned that Matt would fallfor me, and I would break his heart. I wondered if my brotherrealized I had a heart that could break, too.
The thought of Scott made me groan indismay. “Dude. We have to tell my brother.”
Matt hissed an inhale between his teeth. “Iwas trying not to think about that.”
“It’s going to suck so hard when he findsout he was right about us.” I toyed with one of the buttons onMatt’s shirt. “Do you tell him? Or do I?”
“I think I should,” Matt says resignedly.“Rip it off like a bandage.”
“How are you going to tell him?” I was moreconcerned withwhatMatt would tell Scott. The two of themknew each other in a completely different context than I knew mybrother. “I might be able to pick up some pointers for how tocommunicate with him as an equal and not as a little sister.”
“You overestimate his respect for me,” Mattquipped. “I’m going to tell him the truth. I’m in love with you,and I’m hoping that we’re going to be together forever, and, if hedoesn’t like it, I’ll give him one free punch.”
I laughed. “That’s so immature.”
“I hope you’ll still love me when my jaw iswired shut. Your brother is a beast.” Matt kissed the top of myhead. “Can we wait until after our New York week, though? I don’twant to get hit in the face unless you’re absolutely sure I loveyou.”
“Getting hit in the face for me might proveyour love,” I teased.
“There has to be a better way,” he said.“I’m too pretty to get hit in the face.”
I leaned up and blinked slowly, taking along, dreamy look at him. “You know, now that we’re not pretendingnot to be into each other that way, I can tell you that you are sofucking handsome.”
“I know.” He laughed and tried to dodge theplayful slap I landed on his shoulder. “But it’s still nice to hearit.” He stroked my hair against my back. “Now that I can say it,the first time I saw you, I thought you were the most beautifulwoman I’d ever seen.”
I sat up and gave him an incredulous twistof my mouth. “In a tank top and cutoffs? So, like, beautifulcompared to the alligator?”
“No, just beautiful. Fucking you becamepriority number one.” He blushed, and my heart melted into goo. “Ishould have known better. I should have known I was going to fallin love with you.”
“Everyone always does.” That wasn’tnecessarily a good thing. “Speaking of… Does this mean we’remonogamous now?”
“Sexually?Fuckno.” He stoppedhimself. “Wait, is that what you want? Because if that’s what youwant—”
“I can be in love with you with some otherdude’s cock in me.” I had to set the record straight on that rightaway. There was too much freaky sex to be had out there, and Ididn’t mean on the island. “And you can be in love with me withsome other chick’s hand up your ass.”