That Boy: A Small Town, Friends-to-Lovers Romance (That Boy Series Book 1)

I’m awakened at dawn.

No kidding.

By Phillip kissing the back of my neck.

Okay, so maybe things with Phillip won’t be totally perfect after all. I mean, this morning-boy thing is probably going to drive me crazy. He’d better not expect me to start getting up early with …

Oh.

Phillip starts doing something to me that I am too polite to talk about, but I can tell you this; it’s worth being woken up for.

Oh!

Maybe I will become a morning girl after all.

It’s almost nine, and we’re still in bed, trying to get motivated to do something besides stay here all day. The game starts at eleven thirty, and everyone is due to arrive around eleven.

Speaking of arriving, I realize I still don’t know if Monica is coming to the party.

So, I ask bravely, “Um, Phillip, what about Monica?”

He looks at me kind of funny.

“Look, I know you’ve gotten kinda serious with her lately, and, well, I just need to know if she’ll be here today. You know, so I can prepare myself.”

Phillip pulls me close and runs his hand through my hair. God, I love it when he does that. Then, my mind wanders to all the other things he does that I love, and I swear, I blush from just thinking about them.

“Why in the world would you think Monica and I have gotten serious? I was just telling Danny the other day that she’s been driving me nuts.”

I blink my eyes.

Hard.

I am going to kill Danny.

He told me that to make me jealous!

He manipulated me.

And it worked!

Now, he will try to take the credit for us being together, and he will never let me forget it. We’ll be sitting in wheelchairs at the old folks’ home, and he will still be telling me that I owe him. And I don’t think I can take that!

“Danny told me.”

“Danny lies,” Phillip says, smirking.

Yeah, I know.

“That little …” I start to say a bad phrase about Danny, but Phillip just laughs and kisses me.

I’m back in dreamland.

“We really need to get up and get things ready,” I tell him.

“Nah, I think we should just lock the door, turn off the lights, and not come out all weekend.”

I am tempted. Very tempted.

But our consciences get the best of us, so we get up and do everything on Mrs. Mac’s list. While Phillip runs into town to get beer, I take a quick shower and get ready.

I’m looking at myself in the mirror, now thinking that I really wish I hadn’t waited so long to get together with Phillip. Aside from all the fun we might have missed out on, I think about how many days I could have looked like this!

I mean, I look beautiful.

Incredible.

And I never look this way. Kind of cute maybe but not this!

Whatever this is, if I could bottle it and sell it, I would be very, very rich.

Quite frankly, I don’t know how I’m going to get through the party today. I feel like people are going to take one look at me and know. There’s a permanent grin on my face, my knees are weak, and my eyes are smoldering, like there’s a fire in them that can’t quite get put out.

I might as well be wearing a flashing neon sign. I slept with Phillip! Flash. I slept with Phillip! Flash.

I don’t think anyone will be able to miss it.

And I’m worried about this because I really don’t want people to know yet. I don’t need any coaching or advice or pressure.

I want to savor this.

Oh. And I have a big confession to make.

I think I might have found my prince.

I always knew I would, and I know, technically, he’s not a prince, but I don’t think you necessarily have to be royal to be a prince.

I mean, he acts like a prince, and he treats me like a princess.

He always has. What more could a girl ask for?

I’m half-tempted to look at the sky and yell up to my parents, I told you so!

But then I remember they always hoped I would marry Phillip, so I guess we’re even.

I can’t believe that I’m actually thinking about marrying him.

It is way too soon to have thoughts like this.

Phillip gets back with the beer, and I don’t get to attack him again because people have started showing up early.

Damn them!

What? I missed him.

And, surprisingly, no one notices my neon sign.

This is amazing to me because, every time I look at Phillip, I swear, it flashes all the dirty little thoughts I’m having about him.

I have fun catching up with Katie and her husband, Eric. They just bought a new house and are all excited about it. Lisa brought her new boyfriend, Parker. I like him a lot, and they seem really good together. Other than her big crush on Danny, she hasn’t always had the best taste in men.

I’m happy for her.

Heck, I’m happy for everyone today.

I can’t seem to wipe the happy off of my face.

Brandon, Joey, and Neil are here, too, and a bunch of other old friends.

I get the big spread of food out onto the kitchen island. While I’m doing that, I can’t help but watch Phillip. He’s talking and laughing. He’s got such an easy way about him. He makes everyone feel comfortable and welcome, and he’s so sweet and so handsome and so … everything I need.

Pretty soon, the game gets started.

After getting everyone else situated, I realize that there is nowhere left to sit, except on the floor. So, I get brave and plop down across Phillip’s lap. He’s sitting in a big, cushy chair, and I sit across the arms in the opposite direction. I figure this move will surely blow our cover, but no one seems to think it is all that unusual.

I am really worried about my friends.

They are not very perceptive people.

A little before halftime, I run to the garage to get more ice out of the dreaded freezer. As I come around the corner, I nearly collide with Phillip, whose hands are filled with bottles of beer. He sets the beer down, grabs me around the waist, and kisses me wildly.

“Do you know how badly I’ve been wanting to do that?” he asks when he finally stops kissing me.

“Yeah, I think I do.”

He caresses my cheek and declares, “I love you.”

Those three little words wake up my previously dormant brain.

“Phillip, don’t say that. Okay?”

“Why not? I mean it.”

“Phillip, I know you love me. I love you, too, but do me a favor.” He starts to roll his eyes at me, but I give him a stern look and say, “This is important to me. Please don’t tell me that you love me until you’ve spent some time with me, and we have a better idea of whether this will all work out.”

A flash of irritation crosses his face. He thinks I’m looking for a way out, but I am so not.

“Look, I just want you to wait until you can honestly tell me that you’re in love with me. And I’m not talking friend love either.” Then, the chicken inside of me goes out onto a big and scary limb. I bite my lip and say, “I’m talking real love, like the forever kind.”

He smiles at me and kisses me again very sweetly. “I can live with that. Mostly because it means you’re serious about this, about us.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “It also tells me you’re actually thinking about forever with me. I really like the way that sounds.”

“We should probably get back in there,” I tell him, but he ignores that.

“So, you were desperate to be with me last night, huh?” he teases and then flips my hair behind my shoulder and kisses my exposed neck.

He’s never gonna let me live this down.

“Yeah, I was prepared to beg,” I say flatly, trying to keep my cool. But what I really want to do is kick everyone out of the house, drag him upstairs, and see if I can make him desperate.

“You know, I think I definitely heard some begging last night.” He gives me a huge grin.

I laugh at that because I know exactly what he is referring to.

And, uh, I was begging.

He’s got his hands up the back of my shirt, and I swear, my skin is practically sizzling. I’m tempted to look over my shoulder to see if there is smoke, but instead, I come back with, “Oh, really? Well, what I want to know is, when did you get so religious? I haven’t heard God’s name spoken that many times in church.”

We laugh at each other, and Phillip says, “You know, I keep wishing this game would just end so all these people would go home. I couldn’t care less if they win or lose.”

Phillip doesn’t care if our team wins or loses?

Wow!

Now, that’s saying something.

In fact, that might be the best compliment I’ve gotten in my entire life.