Free The Price of Love (A Price Novel Book 1) by Maggi Craft

silly expression on his face.
    “Not necessarily,” I said with a big grin.
    “Well, we’ll see about that. To the liquor store, then home. That way you won’t think about going home tonight.” He grabbed my hand, and we headed back to his place.
    He was right — I didn’t go back to Kenedy’s, but as always, he let me have his bed and slept on the couch.
    When I was honest with myself about Kenedy, I wasn’t sure why I cared that she would be mad. After all, she had slept with my ex-boyfriend when we were still dating, so it shouldn’t have been a problem for me to hang out with hers. When I thought about it, I realized she had never asked about me staying with Slayde. But that was a subject I wanted to continue to avoid like the plague, so I didn’t bring it up.
    The next day, I went home to clean myself up, and then Slayde and I were meeting at our spot in the park. We had talked about going to get some lunch. He was a little late, which was odd, but I decided not to dwell on it. When he showed up, he had a funny expression on his face. I could tell something was wrong, and my stomach dropped.
    “What’s the matter?” I asked him.
    “Nothing,” he replied and kissed me on the cheek. “How’s your day?”
    “You’re a bad liar, but my day was great until now. So, tell me what’s really going on.”
    He laughed and grabbed my hand. “Nothing is wrong. I’m just tired of sneaking around. I want to be able to do whatever we want without you worrying about what Kenedy thinks. I don’t care what she thinks, and I really don’t understand why you do.”
    “She’s my sister, Slayde. I don’t want to fight with her.”
    “Exactly — she’s your sister. Doesn’t that mean she should be happy that you’re happy? If you aren’t going to say something to her, I am. I’m so sick of living like this.”
    That made me angry. “Well, I don’t see anyone holding a gun to your head, making you live like this. Maybe it would be best if we didn’t see each other at all.” I got up and started to walk away.
    Slayde jumped up and grabbed my hand. He looked frustrated, but at the same time, his eyes said something else. Like that I had hurt him. “You know that’s not what I want. I don’t want to not see you. I’m just tired of sneaking around. I want to be able to take you on a date in broad daylight in the middle of the city whenever I want to.”
    “A date?” I asked. I knew I was blushing.
    “Yes, a date, a proper date. One where I pick you up instead of meeting you at the park. One without all of your pinkie promises and ‘I can’t touch you’ rules.” I looked up and saw he was smiling at me.
    My cheeks were flaming. “I don’t know about that, Slayde. I’m only here for a few more weeks, and then I’ll be heading back to school. I would rather keep it simple.”
    “I don’t think it’s that complicated, Arden. I like you, and you like me. Whether you want to admit it or not. And we’re always together, so really, we’re already dating. Except you won’t let me touch you. I think admitting that makes it all pretty simple.”
    “Simple for the moment, maybe, but what happens in a few weeks when I leave? What then?” I asked.
    “I’m not going to be here forever, and I can come see you at least every other weekend. I’ll finish this contract six weeks after you leave, and then I’ll be back in LA.”
    “You can’t fly home every other weekend — that’s crazy.”
    “Yes, I can. My dad has a jet — I can come and go as I please. So, are you in?” He was dead serious. I couldn’t believe Slayde Price was asking to date me.
Is that what he’s asking me?
When I didn’t answer, he frowned. “If you have to think about it that hard, I guess I got my answer. I’m sorry. I guess I had it all wrong.” He started to walk away. I couldn’t just let him leave, but was I really ready for this? I knew this could end very badly for me, but it would be a huge mistake to let him