Incinerate

“What?” I ask, wondering if I have a smudge in my mascara or something.

“You. You look like you’ve just had the most amazing sex of your life. You’re all flushed and smiley. I can’t remember the last time I saw you like this.”

I can feel the blush creep over my face, and Lucy squeals when she sees it. “We may or may not have had hot, sweaty sex on the hood of his car,” I finally admit, causing her to squeal even louder.

I move to shush her, hoping that Knox doesn’t look back and see her cheesing like a lunatic. “Oh my god, you two are so cute together. Who would’ve thought? So what’s it like? Being a couple, living together? I feel like I missed so much from being gone this summer,” she says, and I can tell she wants every single detail.

Gri

She eyes me suspiciously, assessing my words. “You’re falling for him,” she guesses, and I can only nod and smile when I see her eyes widen.

“Falling? Fallen? Semantics, right? I’m crazy about him, Lucy,” I tell her, and she quiets, looking behind me. I realize we’re not alone, and I wonder how much he heard. He doesn’t show any expression when he sets a beer down in front of me, so I decide not to worry about it.

The four of us catch up. Lucy tells us fu

A little while later, Jace and Lexi surprise us, joining us at our table. The guys scoot another one over before heading to grab another round. Lexi’s beaming and can barely sit still in her seat.

“Lexi, what the hell are you so happy about?” I finally have to ask, not being able to stand not knowing what her excitement’s about.

Leaning forwards, she gestures for us to come closer. “I’m not supposed to say anything, but dammit, I can’t wait!” She’s practically squealing with delight, and I’m dying to know what’s going on. Before she can say anything, the guys come back to the table. Jace takes one look at her and shakes his head.

“Alexa, we agreed to wait,” he says, faking a scowl.

“I didn’t say anything! I promise,” she protests, fluttering her eyelids up at him. Lucy and I look at each other, gri

Once everyone takes their seats, Jace grabs Lexi’s hand, bringing it in for a kiss, and that’s when I see it. There’s a gorgeous ring on her left hand, and she holds it out for us all to see. It’s different than a traditional engagement ring and I love the way the bright red ruby sparkles when the light hits it.

“We’re getting married!” she exclaims.

I have a feeling everyone in the bar heard her. Kale and Knox both get up and give Jace some kind of man hug while Lucy and I gush over the ring. Eventually we all settle back in around the table as Lexi tells us how Jace proposed at the Reds stadium, and it’s one of the most romantic things I’ve ever heard.

When she finishes the story, Lucy and I are practically swooning over Jace, and Lexi surprises me with what she says next. “And the wedding’s next month, so you all better be there.”

I watch as Knox’s eyebrows rise. “Next month? How in the hell are you going to plan a wedding in a month?”

Jace shrugs as he takes a sip of his beer. “We decided we’ve waited long enough for this. It’s just going to be something small and simple on the beach. Like Alexa said, we’d like you there.” Knox nods.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” he says. He looks at Lexi contemplatively, and I wonder what he’s thinking.

I’m about to lean over and ask when Kale challenges him and Jace to a game of pool, something neither of them can turn down.

“So, Charlie, how are things with Knox?” Lexi asks.

“Umm, they’re good,” I say, pausing when she gives me a look like she wants to know more. “Okay, they’re better than good. Things are great. I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this comfortable in a relationship.”

Lucy chimes in, apparently deciding that I’m not saying enough. “Before you got here, she was just telling me about how she’s in love with him,” she informs Lexi, gri

Lexi’s eyes widen and she looks at me. “Really? You’re already at the love stage?” she asks.

Shaking my head at Lucy, I mentally curse her, because I need to still sort through my feelings myself before making declarations to everyone else. “It’s too fast, right? I mean, it’s only been five months since I moved in, and only three of those have we been dating. I don’t know. After Drew, I didn’t think I’d find anyone for a long time, but I guess since we already lived together, things moved a lot faster than normal. But I’m not telling him. There’s no way that he’s ready to hear it, and I’m not going to freak him out,” I say, and I’m not sure if I’m trying to convince them or myself.

“He could surprise you,” Lexi says, causing me to raise my eyebrows at her. She holds a hand up before I can protest. “Hear me out, Charlie. When I lost Ty, I kind of went through a really dark time, and I almost lost myself in the process. I honestly never thought I would move on. I really didn’t. And if it weren’t for Jace, I don’t know that I would have. It took me a long time to admit it to myself. And to him. I was almost too late.”

She stops and reaches her hand across the table to place it on top of mine. “I guess what I’m saying is don’t wait too long. It’s scary—trust me, I get it more than most—but the way Knox looks at you? It’s not just a guy looking at the girl in his bed. He’s looking at the girl in his heart, too,” she says, looking past me and nodding in his direction.

Turning around, I spot him standing off to the side of the pool table, waiting patiently as Kale takes a shot. His forearms are taut, and I can see the bulge of his biceps as he holds the pool stick tightly with both of his hands. His eyes meet mine, and I watch as a slow, sexy smile spreads over his face when he catches me looking at him. Shooting me a wink that sends a thrill down my spine, he bends over the table and lines up to take a shot. His face turns serious as he concentrates on making the perfect shot.

Part of me knows that Lexi’s right. I think I’ve gotten into Knox’s heart the same way he’s in mine, but I’m too scared to voice it. The moment I say the words out loud, I’ll never be able to take them back. Even if he does feel the same, I’m not sure he’s ready, and I’m okay with that. I can be patient. I’m not in any hurry to settle down, and he’s worth waiting for.

When I turn back to the girls, they’re both watching me. “What?” I ask, even though I know what they’re thinking.

“He was totally looking at you like he wished you were on the pool table and he was ramming you with his stick instead of the cue ball,” Lucy says. “Like you were the only person in the room. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even realize Lexi and I are sitting here.”

Shaking my head, I just laugh. “Whatever you say. It was a smile and a wink. Definitely not a love declaration,” I tell her. I want to believe them, to believe that he feels the same way I do. But until I know for sure, I’m keeping mine bottled up. I know Knox has opened up since we started dating, but I’m not going to push him too far or too fast. Until then, I can be satisfied knowing that we’re together. That’s all that matters. For now.