Bonham (Pushing Daisies Book 3) by Heather Young-Nichols (read people like a book txt) 📕

dick stirred in my pants at the idea of kissing her tonight. I leaned closer to her across the table.

“You plan on kissing me goodnight?”

There was a moment when her breath hitched and that was probably due to my hands under the table. I’d set them on her knees and began rubbing circles on the inside of her thighs. Low on her thighs. Not anywhere close to where I wanted to be.

“Well, yeah.” Her voice sounded different, full of desire, lust. If merely touching her knees got her to this point, I couldn’t imagine how little it’d take to really turn her on. Fuck, I could imagine how little it’d take for her to turn me on. She was doing it by sitting there and going through books.

Her auburn hair was down and wavy. I wanted nothing more at that point than to fist my hand through those locks.

I needed to get my brain back on the moment in front of me.

“I wasn’t making fun of your system. I’d never do that, especially now that I know what’s at stake,” I said. Her shy smile appeared again. “I meant to ask why don’t you just get them all?”

She snorted. It was cute on her when it’d probably be ridiculous with someone else. “I don’t have a rock star salary, remember?”

I tapped a hand against my chest. “I’m buying them for you.”

She froze and her eyes slowly lifted to mine. “Uh… no.”

“Yeah. I am. That’s why we came here. Did I not mention that?”

“No, Bonham. You didn’t mention that. If you had, I never would’ve picked out eleven books to look at. I’ll just narrow it down. You don’t have to buy me books.”

“I know I don’t have to,” I told her, but the idea that she hadn’t known I wanted to or that she would’ve been more choosy with her selections if she had just driven home the fact that this woman wasn’t with me because of who I was. Even though she knew now. “I want to. This was my plan.”

She nibbled on that bottom lip back and forth between her teeth. “At least let me put the hardbacks back. They’re so expensive, Bonham. I can’t let you buy me all of these books.”

Again, I leaned across the table, though this time, my hands were on top, where I could take her and intertwine our fingers like we had the first time in the bookstore.

“Did you forget? Rock star income,” I said. She snorted and shook her head. “Let me buy you the books, Jurnie. If you really don’t want me to, I won’t offer again. But I want you to know that this is something I decided before we ever even got here and if you’re worried that I’ll think you’re using me for my money, I won’t. You didn’t even know I was in a band until a couple of hours ago.”

Again, she battled with herself. I watched it take place as if I could read her mind. Since she hadn’t known who Pushing Daisies were until yesterday, there was no way for her to know how much we were making. Or even guess how much we were making. It was enough to buy her a few books and since the girls said it was swoony, I wanted to be swoony for Jurnie.

“If you’re sure. Like really sure. Super sure.”

“I’m super sure,” I told her with a smile.

As I paid, Jurnie pushed her weight from foot to foot, like this was making her uncomfortable. Fuck. That was the last thing I’d wanted to do. This was a gesture. Nothing more.

Back in the car, after I put her books in the trunk, I asked, “Did that make you uncomfortable?”

“No,” she said a little too quickly. Then she turned toward me. “It didn’t. That was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Seriously ever. But I don’t want you to think—”

“I don’t.” Since I knew exactly what she was going to say, she didn’t need to say it. “This was something Daisy and my brother’s girlfriend, Lexi, said would be swoon-worthy. Nothing more.”

When I reached out to cup her cheek, she leaned into the touch. “It was totally swoon-worthy. They were right.”

Unfortunately, I had to pull my hand back so I could drive her home, but I still held her hand, my fingers brushing against the tender skin on the inside of her thigh, all the way home. Once I pulled onto her street, she asked if I’d stop in front of the neighbors’ house. I wasn’t going to ask but assumed it had something to do with her parents. If this was what would give us a little privacy, I was all for it.

She got out of the car first, with her bag from the bookstore, which she set on the ground as she leaned against the Jeep. I came around to meet her. I’d also parked far enough away from the curb that we were both standing on the street. That, too, had been by design.

With her back against the Jeep, I rested my hands on her hips and brought us as close as I could without kissing her. I was going to kiss her but not quite yet.

“I had a really good time tonight, Jurnie. Of everyone I’ve ever met, you’re probably the easiest person to talk to.”

“I had a good time, too.” Her tongue ran over her bottom lip in anticipation of this first kiss. Her heart was beating against her chest and I could feel it. “It’s weird, right?” she asked. I gave her a questioning look. “I literally met you yesterday by accident, but it feels like I’ve known you a while. Maybe that’s just me.”

“No.” I shook my head. That was exactly how I’d been feeling. “It’s not just you. Did you have me park here so your parents couldn’t see us out the window?”

I nodded. “And my sister. She’s very invested in my dating life. She hates that my