“Watch what?” she counters, her melodic laughter bouncing off the empty halls. She’s enjoying this too much. The jungle juice must be channeling this chaotic energy.
I close the distance, making her back touch the wall. I place a hand against the wall and lean down, our faces mere inches apart. “You’re playing with fire.”
The dynamic between us switches gears, and I can see it in her eyes that she feels it too. Time stops. We’re no longer at a party. It’s just me and her. My eyes rake over her figure, her coffee brown eyes, her luscious lashes fluttering. My gaze stops at her pale pink lips, and both our breaths hitch.
Before I know it, I’m unconsciously leaning in, inching closer and closer to her rosy lips. Serena doesn’t pull away; instead, her eyes connect with mine like she wants this too.
An unexpected sound pulls us apart, causing us to spring apart like water and oil. Now I feel like I’m seven again, getting caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I turn my head at the topof the hallway, only to throw my head back at the cockblocker. Elijah’s golden retriever puppy, Cheesecake, runs full speed towards us. He stops at our feet and paws at Serena’s shoes, silently asking to be picked up.
I stumble backward, nearly tripping over my own feet, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“What a cute puppy!”
I shoot a sheepish glance at Serena, trying to play it off cool. “Serena, Cheesecake. Cheesecake, Serena.” I say, scratching behind Cheesecake’s ear. “Little girl must have escaped from her crate.”
“Can we take her to the party?”
I chuckle and wrap an arm around Serena. “I’m sure she’ll be the life of the party.”
She smiles at me and I risk a wink, which makes her blush,oh I love it. I’m sure as hell going to keep this PDA thing up.
Chapter 21
Tyler
The night carries on, and we find ourselves on the patio deck, watching Priya play beer pong. Part of me wishes I would’ve kissed Serena right then and there when we were alone earlier. But another part of me is enjoying the tension.
Serena’s too busy with Cheesecake, teaching the puppy tricks and sneaking her pepperoni from the pizza. Her cheeks flush pink, not because of me, but from the jungle juice she’s been sipping.
Deciding it’s time to leave, I turn to her. “You ready to go?”
Serena giggles and nods, “Yeah, I’m getting hungry. I really want some nuggets.”
“Nuggets?”
“Yeah. Don’t you like nuggets?” Serena counters, arms crossed.
“We can get nuggets from Liberty’s,” I suggest, fighting back the urge to laugh.
We both say goodbyes to our friends on the deck. Instead of wrapping my arm around her petite frame, I opt to intertwine our hands together. The party’s gotten more packed and I’m starting to feel more protective with Serena.
I’m leading the way back inside the house, but she halts our steps. She tugs her hand away from mine, which sends a pang through my chest until I see what she’s trying to do. She reaches down for Cheesecake and cradles her like a baby. “Can we bring Cheesecake?”
I can’t help but be in awe for two reasons: she takes my breath away and she’s asking to steal my friend’s dog.
I pet Cheesecake’s head. “Maybe next time. This is Elijah’s dog.”
Serena pouts again, her lip puckering out. Damn it. “But she’s so cuuuute.”
“I know, but we can’t steal a dog.”
“Yes, we can. You can be the getaway driver and I can hold her. It’s a perfect plan.”
“Babe, put the dog down.” I tease, making Serena’s eyes widen at the latest pet name and I can’t help but wink at her in response.
With an adorably sad pout, Serena reluctantly releases Cheesecake from her arms, saying goodbye to the furry goldenretriever before we head off. We run into a few people, so we say a quick hello and goodbye. I let her lead the way with my hands resting gently on her hips. I catch Elijah’s curious stare as we pass by. He sees my hands on her hips and nods in acknowledgement like he’s proud of me. The connection between us is undeniable, and it’s both exciting and nerve wracking.
I open the passenger door for Serena and buckle her in safely. “I can open doors myself.”
