Page 70 of Inevitable

“Maybe not, but I do need my birth control pills.”

“Then you may as well grab some clothes for Monday while you’re there,” he said as I opened the door and descended from the cab.

I furrowed my brow. “Monday?”

He grinned. “So you won’t have to go home before work.”

Was he really—

He chuckled. “Yes, Sumner. I want you to stay for the weekend.”

Wow. Okay. I hadn’t been expecting that. Though, in all honesty, I hadn’t expected anything that had happened in the past thirty minutes. Not the sex in the back seat. Not him asking me to come home with him. Not…anything.

“That is, if you want to.” He glanced through the windshield, dragging a hand through his hair.

“Yes.” I laughed at his sudden bashfulness. “Of course I do. I’ll be there soon.”

I climbed out of the truck, and he rolled down the driver’s window. I was tempted to lean up on my toes and kiss him, but we were in the parking lot, in view of security cameras and anyone who happened to walk by. Somehow kissing under the bright lights seemed like a bigger risk than what we’d done in the back of his truck. It made no sense, and it made complete sense. But that was how it was with Jonathan—everything was a risk.

I smiled and turned for my car, eager to get home, get packed, and get back to his place before he could change his mind. I shouldn’t have worried. The moment I climbed in the driver’s seat, there was a text message waiting for me.

Jonathan: I’ll be sure to have our song playing when you arrive.

If we were going to sneak around for the rest of the summer, I needed to change his contact in my phone, make it something less obvious than “Jonathan” or even “Wolfe.” Something where no one would guess his true identity if they saw the name flash across my screen. After racking my brain for a minute, I finally settled on using Jack’s name. He was a coworker, and it wouldn’t be suspicious if I were working late with him or even dating him.

Me: We have a song?

Jack: I’m insulted.

I opened the link in his next message, and “WAP” by Cardi B started playing.

I laughed to myself as I pulled out of the garage and headed for my dad’s house. All the while, hoping no one was home. My phone rang on the way there, Piper’s name appearing on my dashboard.

“Hey, Piper,” I said, answering the call through Bluetooth.

“Hey. Where are you?”

“Driving home from work. Why? What’s up?”

“This late? Geez. You need a life.”

“I have a life!” I protested.

“A life outside of work. Which is why you’re coming out tonight. There’s this guy I want you to meet, and—”

“Piper, I appreciate the invitation, but I already have plans.”

“What plans? I’m your only friend in LA.”

“Hey! That’s not true.”

“Fine. The only friend you actually hang out with. So, what are your plans? More spreadsheets? Movie night in with your dad and Lea?”

I was both bursting and afraid to tell her. “Jonathan wants me to stay with him for the weekend.”

“What?” she shrieked, and I winced, wishing I could’ve turned down the speaker volume faster. “Jonathan, as in Jonathan Wolfe? The man who dropped you faster than a hot potato?”

I tightened my grip on the wheel as I tried to ignore the sting that accompanied her words. That wasn’t quite the reaction I’d been anticipating.