Page 79 of If I Stopped Haunting You

“Okay, okay,” he relented. Neil nuzzled her jaw with his nose, his breath fanning across her sweaty skin and making her shiver. “For giving me a chance. For givingusa chance.”

Pen smiled.Us. She liked that. She liked that very much.

She stood on shaky legs and held out a hand to him. “What say you to a shower?”

“Yes, please.”

He took her hand and followed her toward the bathroom. Never in a million years had Pen imagined showering with Neil Storm, let alone having sex with him, but things changed.

Peoplechanged. And as she slipped beneath the steady stream of hot water and Neil reached out to lather her hair with shampoo, Pen wondered,Who’d have thought?

Because even she did not have the creative genius necessary to have foretold this. Penelope Skinner and Neil Storm together.

Had the world ended?

Chapter 23

NEIL

Neil’s fingers worked meticulously, his brows pinched together as he focused on her hair.

“When did you learn to do this?” she asked, squirming under his touch. Her shirt rode higher over her thighs, and Neil stared down at them, remembering how she’d felt under him, over him,against him.

He cleared his throat. “My younger sister.” Neil paused, picturing Max’s face, that scowl twisting her lips, the furrowed brows, and the dark eyes set beneath them. “As the second oldest, I had to watch her a lot when my mom went back to work.”

“What does your mom do?”

“Art teacher.”

Penelope pouted. “I know so little about you.”

Shrugging, Neil tied off her braid, hiding his smile. “It’s not like I walk around spouting off private information. I’ve always kept to myself.”

She frowned as she turned and clambered into his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned in close until that intoxicating smell of coconut surrounded him.

“I know, but if I’d known who you truly were—”

“Things wouldn’t be different,” he interrupted, pulling back.“You and me… Things were always going to pan out this way. We were both too stubborn to talk it out.”

“Maybe…” She trailed off, frowning.

“It’s dangerous to play the ‘what if’ game, Penelope.”

She ground her teeth, looking away. Neil wanted to wipe that look off her face.

“Don’t do that,” she said.

“Why?”

She looked at him,reallylooked at him. “Are you telling me that you never stopped to wonder what would’ve happened if we’d just talked? If, instead of me blowing up at Book Con and yelling at you, we could have stepped aside and had a civil conversation?”

Sighing, Neil pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course I’ve wondered. Part of me will always wonder, but it doesn’t do any good to dwell—”

Something clattered in the hall, and Neil and Penelope froze, eyes going to the door.

“Did you hear that?” she asked. Her hands tightened on him, lips parting as her eyes widened.

Neil gently pried her arms from around his neck and set her aside. Holding up a hand to quiet her, he stood.