Love Exactly Read Online Free Page B

showed my press pass to the bouncer and was let behind the metal gates. “End of the pier.” He nodded over his shoulder past the blockades up to give the artists some privacy.
    I heard the ringtone of Evan singing and fumbled for my phone, but when I looked down, his picture wasn’t on the screen; in fact the screen was black. I was going insane. I could still hear the music playing. Slipping past the blockade, I saw him. There he was playing a worn acoustic guitar as he sat on a stool framed by the backdrop of the ocean.
    I froze as he looked up with a smile before sliding the guitar behind his back and standing. He had stopped singing, and despite the noise behind us all I could hear was the sound of the waves as they crashed over the wood of the pier. My body seemed to catch up before my brain, and I found myself running into his arms. I closed my eyes as I took in scent of his cologne, relishing the feeling of his arms holding me as he swung me around before setting me on the damp wood. The wind swirled my hair around us as his hands cradled my face; his forehead pressed against mine as he whispered, “I wasn’t dreaming…you really do exist.”
    “I should be the one saying that,” I replied, breathless as I took in the intenseness of his eyes.
    He looked like he hadn’t slept in a long time, for there were black circles under his eyes, and his black button-up was wrinkled from sitting. “I couldn’t take it anymore,” he admitted. “I needed physical proof.”
    “Like what?” I asked, and his lips found mine.
    “Your body against mine,” he whispered into my ear as he slipped his hands to the small of my back and pulled me waist closer to him.
    I took a deep breath of the salt air and sighed. “How long do we have?”
    “A week.”
    My eyes widened and I pulled away. A week? A whole week? I had to be dreaming.
    “I thought you were touring Canada?” I asked.
    He shrugged. “I’m all toured out right now.”
    “Isn’t that unheard of and really bad publicity?”
    “It’s fine—don’t worry about it.”
    “Where are you staying?” I asked as we walked towards the end of the pier. I rolled up my jeans, slipped my flip flops off and dunked my toes in the cool water of the Atlantic.
    “I hadn’t really thought it that far through. I’m sure I can find somewhere that has an open room,” he answered, following my example and slipping off his Converses.
    “Seriously? There’s nowhere with open rooms right now—especially not with the festival in town!”
    Evan cringed. “I’m sure I can find something at the casino.”
    “You don’t seem thrilled with that idea.”
    “Place is filled with smoke—it permeates everything.”
    I swirled my feet in the water before putting my head on his shoulder. “I don’t know if you’d be interested, but you could stay at my place.”
    “You don’t think it’s too soon?”
    “One date and you’re staying at my place? Yeah, normal circumstances would say it is…but being who you are it’s not like we can date like normal people do.” I stopped myself as I thought of how many assumptions I had made with the statement. “I mean, not that we’re dating.”
    He laughed and pulled me closer to him. “I thought we were.”
    I let the breath I was holding out.
    “Well, you still get the pull-out couch,” I informed him.
    I felt his shoulders rise as he shrugged. “That’s better than the casino and smelling like an ash tray just exploded for a week straight.”

Chapter 4
    I had to admit the first night with Evan on my couch was hard. I yearned for him to stay wrapped in my blankets with me, but I let my brain tell me it was far too soon for that.
    “I should probably go to the pull-out?” Evan had whispered into my ear as I fell asleep.
    “Mhmm,” I replied, fighting my tongue asking to him to stay.
    He leaned over my body, his hands gentle as he swept a piece of hair away from my chin and let his fingers caress my neck before letting