“Leah!” I jump on after her.
I’m feeling a little anxious at the determination shining in her eyes. She definitely strikes me as the kind of girl who gets her revenge in the most evil way possible.
“Leah. Leah!” I scramble after her at downtown Disney. “What are you doing?”
“You’ll see.”
I have a horrible feeling that I don’t want to see.
I wait outside as she heads into a store. I don’t know want to know what she’s buying in there. Probably the single most embarrassing thing…
Aw, fuck.
“You’re wearing these.”
“Hell no!” I back up a couple of steps.
“Hell yes.” She walks toward me.
“I’m not wearing fuckin’ Mickey Mouse ears.”
“Why not?” She pouts. And shit. She looks so damn adorable doing it that I almost want to give in to her.
“Because I don’t want to.”
“I didn’t want to go in that stupid mansion, but you made me.”
“Okay. That’s fair. But I’m not wearing them!”
“You are.”
Leah runs toward me, and I reach out and grab her waist. She moves onto her tiptoes and places the headband on my head. Then her face breaks into a huge smile, and as her eyes drift from the ears atop my head to mine, she slowly lowers back down to her heels and looks at me for a long moment.
She looks at me like I’m something other than the jackass who pisses her off every time he opens his mouth. Like I’m more than the devil-may-care playboy the media makes me out to be—that I act like. She looks at me like I’m a real fucking human being, and when she drags her teeth across her bottom lip while still looking at me, my heart thuds loudly.
My fingers flex against her slim waist. Every part of me is screaming for me to step forward and cover her sweet mouth with mine. I want to take this moment of her not hating me and spin it into something more.
She steps back from my hold and whips out her cell phone. Before I can say a thing, she snaps a photo of me with the ears on and laughs. The look on her face is pure delight, and that combined with her musical laugh means I have to smile at her. I move closer to her and pull out my own phone.
“What are you doing?” She raises her eyebrows.
I put my arm around her and tug her into me. “Smile,” I whisper into her ear before taking my own picture.
I look at the screen. We’re both smiling, and it looks totally natural. No pained, faked smiles.
“What did you do that for?” Blue eyes look up at me.
I push some of the horrid, dark hair from her eyes, letting my fingers linger on her soft cheek. “So I can remember the thirty seconds where you weren’t actually mad at me for something.”
I pull into the driveway outside her house and kill the engine. We get out silently, and I follow her to the door. Night is beginning to fall, and I know that, if I look out at the city below, I’d see thousands upon thousands of bright lights making their mark in the darkness.
But looking anywhere other than at Leah doesn’t seem plausible right now.
She puts a hand on the door handle and drops it again. “Thank you,” she says softly, turning to me. “For today. I actually had a really nice time.”
“Nice? Ouch. That’s an insult pretending to be a compliment.”
Her pink lips twist on one side and those gorgeous eyes find my gaze. “Fine. Aside from you dragging me through one of the nine circles of Hell, I had an amazing time.”
“Now you’re just trying too hard,” I sigh.
She laughs and slaps my arm. “Shut up. I mean it. I wasn’t expecting to, but I had a lot of fun.”
“Me, too. Even if it was at Disneyland.”
Her eyes glitter, and she reaches up and tugs the wig off her head. “Yeah.” Then she throws it at me. “Good thinking on the wig, cowboy.”
“Do you think it worked?” I lean against the wall.
“You’ll know tomorrow morning. I’ll be either happy to talk to you or leaning over your bed with a heavy object.”
“She’s a comedian as well.” I dip my head.
I’m feeling a little anxious at the determination shining in her eyes. She definitely strikes me as the kind of girl who gets her revenge in the most evil way possible.
“Leah. Leah!” I scramble after her at downtown Disney. “What are you doing?”
“You’ll see.”
I have a horrible feeling that I don’t want to see.
I wait outside as she heads into a store. I don’t know want to know what she’s buying in there. Probably the single most embarrassing thing…
Aw, fuck.
“You’re wearing these.”
“Hell no!” I back up a couple of steps.
“Hell yes.” She walks toward me.
“I’m not wearing fuckin’ Mickey Mouse ears.”
“Why not?” She pouts. And shit. She looks so damn adorable doing it that I almost want to give in to her.
“Because I don’t want to.”
“I didn’t want to go in that stupid mansion, but you made me.”
“Okay. That’s fair. But I’m not wearing them!”
“You are.”
Leah runs toward me, and I reach out and grab her waist. She moves onto her tiptoes and places the headband on my head. Then her face breaks into a huge smile, and as her eyes drift from the ears atop my head to mine, she slowly lowers back down to her heels and looks at me for a long moment.
She looks at me like I’m something other than the jackass who pisses her off every time he opens his mouth. Like I’m more than the devil-may-care playboy the media makes me out to be—that I act like. She looks at me like I’m a real fucking human being, and when she drags her teeth across her bottom lip while still looking at me, my heart thuds loudly.
My fingers flex against her slim waist. Every part of me is screaming for me to step forward and cover her sweet mouth with mine. I want to take this moment of her not hating me and spin it into something more.
She steps back from my hold and whips out her cell phone. Before I can say a thing, she snaps a photo of me with the ears on and laughs. The look on her face is pure delight, and that combined with her musical laugh means I have to smile at her. I move closer to her and pull out my own phone.
“What are you doing?” She raises her eyebrows.
I put my arm around her and tug her into me. “Smile,” I whisper into her ear before taking my own picture.
I look at the screen. We’re both smiling, and it looks totally natural. No pained, faked smiles.
“What did you do that for?” Blue eyes look up at me.
I push some of the horrid, dark hair from her eyes, letting my fingers linger on her soft cheek. “So I can remember the thirty seconds where you weren’t actually mad at me for something.”
I pull into the driveway outside her house and kill the engine. We get out silently, and I follow her to the door. Night is beginning to fall, and I know that, if I look out at the city below, I’d see thousands upon thousands of bright lights making their mark in the darkness.
But looking anywhere other than at Leah doesn’t seem plausible right now.
She puts a hand on the door handle and drops it again. “Thank you,” she says softly, turning to me. “For today. I actually had a really nice time.”
“Nice? Ouch. That’s an insult pretending to be a compliment.”
Her pink lips twist on one side and those gorgeous eyes find my gaze. “Fine. Aside from you dragging me through one of the nine circles of Hell, I had an amazing time.”
“Now you’re just trying too hard,” I sigh.
She laughs and slaps my arm. “Shut up. I mean it. I wasn’t expecting to, but I had a lot of fun.”
“Me, too. Even if it was at Disneyland.”
Her eyes glitter, and she reaches up and tugs the wig off her head. “Yeah.” Then she throws it at me. “Good thinking on the wig, cowboy.”
“Do you think it worked?” I lean against the wall.
“You’ll know tomorrow morning. I’ll be either happy to talk to you or leaning over your bed with a heavy object.”
“She’s a comedian as well.” I dip my head.
Similar Books
