“Hey, Mrs. Darnell. How are you?”
She’s muttering something about in her day when I pull Shane around the side of the house. “I guarantee she’ll mention this to my aunt.”
“Will she mind?”
“Nah. I’m sure she’ll figure it’s better that we do it where we can be interrupted. So this is the bike-parking shed.”
While I’m in there, I take stock of the parts. We’ll need to buy a few things from the hardware store, but I have oil. The paint could use touching up, but that’s wholly cosmetic. My primary concern should be the tires and the chain. I’m mumbling this out loud, as I take inventory, then I give him a short lecture on proper bicycle maintenance. Belatedly, I realize this probably isn’t normal girlfriend behavior. Shane’s looking really bemused. I stash both our bikes, then close the door behind me.
“What time are Ryan and Lila coming over?” he asks, following me into the house.
“Around seven thirty.” I check the time on my phone. “We have almost four hours. Do you want something to eat?”
“You really have no idea, do you?” His voice holds a wondering note.
I’m wary. “Of what?”
“How incredible you are.”
Um. Apparently he likes that I can take care of my sporting equipment? I choke the instinctive protest because I hear Aunt Gabby chiding me: When someone gives you a compliment, you simply say thank you, even if you don’t feel you deserve it. So I murmur an awkward “thanks.”
“No, I don’t want anything to eat.”
“Then what do you—” The question’s cut off by his mouth.
Wow. Me. That’s what he wants.
My back hits the refrigerator door as Shane kisses the hell out of me. I wrap my arms around his neck because I can’t get close enough to him. Countless seconds later, he breaks away, breathless. “I’ll die if we do that for four hours.”
“It might be worth it,” I whisper.
His fingers cling to mine as he tugs me toward the living room. Shane flashes the smile that squeezes my heart: equal parts shyness, innocence, and yearning. God, I’m so into him; it’s a physical pain that won’t go away. He pulls me down onto the couch and we make out for like an hour. It might’ve gone further if my aunt hadn’t come home early to get ready for her date with Joe.
We spring apart as she unlocks the front door, and I hope I don’t look as guilty as I feel.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“What’re you two up to tonight?” she asks.
I suspect she knows what we were doing, and I grin really big, trying to look innocent. “Watching a movie with Ryan and Lila. They’ll be over later.”
“That’s reassuring. I’ll be home by midnight. Do you want me to cook before I go out?”
I shake my head. “I can make grilled cheese or pasta.”
Lila and Ryan will probably eat at home, so popcorn will do for them. I glance at Shane. “Should we make something now?” It’s almost five. Depending on what we fix, it might be almost six by the time we finish.
“Yeah,” he mutters.
I can tell he’s uncomfortable that my aunt almost caught him on top of me, and for some reason, I want to laugh. We make spaghetti with a creamy tomato sauce; I puree some soft tofu to add protein. Along with a green salad, this is a decent meal.
“I need to cook for you sometime,” Shane says, as we sit down.
“What’s your specialty?”
“Slow-cooker pulled pork, but I guess that’s out. I can also make decent vegetable soup.”
“Nom. I’ll bring fresh bread.”
“Do you use a machine?”