Lost to You

Everything about her swam with innocence, but her eyes were too sharp to speak of naivety. She knew exactly what I was thinking as my gaze caressed the soft slope of her neck. Most girls would be crawling all over me by now, but Elizabeth looked like maybe she’d just decided she didn’t want anything to do with me.

Swallowing, I tried to reel myself in.

I was fucking this all up, and I had no idea why I cared.

But I did.

I mean, I didn’t want a relationship or anything, but I wanted . . . something. The expression on Elizabeth’s face told me she’d already decided what that was.

Yeah. Definitely fucking this up. . . .

She went back to flipping through the pages meticulously as she mapped out our study plan for the semester. She asked me several questions about my strengths, my schedule, and when and where I preferred to have our study sessions.

Even though she was so obviously worried about her grade, there was no doubt that she would ace this class.

“Where are you from, Elizabeth?” The words were abrupt, and I shifted in my seat, leaning farther across the small table with my elbows digging into the wood, edging her direction.

Honey kissed every inch of her—her hair, eyes, skin—and I knew she couldn’t be from around here.

“Uh . . . San Diego,” she said almost absently, absorbed in the words she had written before. She surprised me by stopping and looking at me with a wistful smile. “I lived there my whole life. This is the first time I’ve been out of California. I still can’t believe I’m in New York City. It’s crazy.”

With a slight, contented shake of her head, she bit at her lip and picked up where she’d left off, the fluid sweep of her hand across the paper as planned.

“This is the first time you’ve been out of California?” Incredulity dropped from my mouth. How was that even possible?