Outside the Lines by Anna Zabo

Author:Anna Zabo [Zabo, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
Published: 2017-12-15T18:30:00+00:00

Simon drove me back to End o’ Earth and we were both damn quiet in the car. My mind churned, flitting from lust to fear to anger at myself for having gotten into this mess, to sadness because eventually I was going to lose Simon. I’d never had him, to begin with. From the very start, he’d been on loan. I couldn’t be mad at Lydia. Hell, if she’d been a guy, I’d have suggested a threesome.

Though in some ways we’d done that, even if we hadn’t all been in bed together. I scrubbed my face.

“You okay?” Simon spoke softly, his concern so evident, so loving.

I should say something. Maybe break it off now, but I didn’t want to. I hated lying. Did anyway. “Yeah. Tired. I think the past week is catching up with me.” Well, that was partly true. My stomach twisted.

He didn’t say anything and remained focused on the road. Soon, we were parking behind End o’ Earth. He shut off the car, and we both climbed out. I met his gaze and the worry was still there. I hoped he didn’t ask how I was again, because when he looked at me like that, I couldn’t lie.

“Gonna come in?” He nodded toward the shop.

This time, the truth came out. “No. I think I need to go home and decompress for a while.”

He studied me. Maybe he saw through to the despair I was trying to hide. “Do you want me there at the shoot tomorrow?” Those were the words he used, but I swear his tone said, “Are you breaking up with me?”

My lungs and head ached. I had no way to process the pain and hurt buried in Simon’s voice, except I knew I didn’t want him upset. “Of course I do!” I wanted Simon to see the end result of all his hard work. He deserved to be there. I took his hands in mine. “Please come tomorrow.”

His smile undid me every time. This one was no exception. That flip in my chest, that zing down my limbs. He gave my hands a squeeze. “Pick me up at the shop? Still need to check with Lydia, but I’m a hundred-percent sure it’s fine.”

“Of course I can pick you up.” My fear slid away. If I stared at Simon, at those deep eyes and that lovely grin, all the what-ifs vanished. “Is seven okay? It’s a busy day for you.”

“Oh yeah. All the hard work’s done in the morning. By evening, the new comic rush has petered out.”

“Seven it is.” I stepped in and kissed him. Like always, the way he opened to me, those little noises, the warmth of him set my heart racing and lit my nerves. Simon wrapped his arms around me. We fit together like two puzzle pieces, his body molding to mine. Perfect. Always so right—until we parted—which we always did.

Simon stepped back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

It was a ridiculous thing to do, but I grabbed his hand and kissed his knuckles like some kind of weird-ass knight.

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