“Oh yeah?” I loved her defense of me and had to smile as I asked, “What brought you to that conclusion?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Maybe from spending every day with you this summer. We do talk, you know. A lot. And I can’t tell you how many small tidbits of information I’ve learned from you. I’ve also noticed what a snap memory you have.”
“Yeah, it’s been my only saving grace, because my reading skills suck ass.”
“Well, all of you seems valuable to me.” She kissed my cheek. “So maybe you’ll never make the best grades in school because your eyes see things differently. You’re still amazingly wonderful in so many other ways. You have street smarts and survival skills. You can still be anything you want to be.”
“I guess I’ll have to think about what I want to be then,” I murmured, awed by her complete sense of faith in me.
“That’s a good idea, since you’re going to have to have some kind of plan after you graduate from high school next spring.”
“I do have a plan,” I said. “To get out.”
She sent me an odd look. “And go where?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Wherever. I’ve always wanted to get away...go somewhere where I’m worth something, where I’m not a piece of shit Parker, where I can just be Knox and make my own way.”
Sympathy flooded her baby blues as she cupped my face in both hands. “You’re worth something to me.”
I pressed my forehead to hers. “And that’s why I’m waiting to see where you go first. Because wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be, too.”
Her lips parted. “Knox,” she whispered.
“I love you, City.” My voice broke with uncertainty as I realized this was the first time I was telling her the actual words. Aloud. “You are my future.”
“Oh my God. Oh my God.” Her fingers shook against my cheeks and her eyes went all glassy and wet. Then her trembling lips curved into the most beautiful smile ever. “Is it okay if I say it back?”
I laughed because I was so relieved. “I would actually really appreciate it if you did.”
She gave one of her high-pitched fangirl screams. “Then I love you too. Oh my God, Knox. We love each other.”
“Yeah, I caught that.” Then I kissed her, wet and opened mouth and so hungry that I grew a little too enthusiastic. Before I knew it, I was gripping her hip and grinding her down hard into my lap until she was riding my erection through our clothes, and my lips were devouring hers.
“Wait, wait, wait,” she gasped, pulling free of my mouth and pressing her head to mine.
She might’ve separated our lips, but she continued to press down on my straining cock.
“I’m sorry,” I immediately apologized. “I’m stopping. I didn’t mean to get so...”
“No, it’s okay. I just needed a minute.”
I nodded. “Take all the time you want, baby. We have the rest of our lives. We don’t have to rush anything.”
Blowing out a breath, she nodded. “Okay. Thank you.” Almost exactly one minute later, she heaved out another deep breath. Then she looked up at me and asked, “How many girls have you been with?”
Totally not expecting the question, I pulled back in surprise. Then I smirked. “I sit next to them in my Home Economics class all the time.”
She nudged my chest to scold me even as she grinned. “Shut up, Forrest Gump, I’m serious.”
Still feeling the need to tease her, because she looked kind of jealous, and I liked it, I asked, “How many do you think?”
After biting her lip a thoughtful second, she said, “Eight?”
Wondering where she’d come up with a number like that, I shook my head. “Nope.”
Cheeks paling, she croaked, “More? Oh my God, can I even count all of them on my fingers and toes?”