“Put me down! This is undignified!”
“Sugarplum? Where are you?” he teases.
“I’m not your sugarplum—for the love of god, Cole Lucifer Sinclair, put me down this instant!”
“I hope you know that squirming is only going to make this worse.”His grip tightens, searing into the skin of my upper thighlike a brand. A traitorous warmth slowly spreads from his hand into my lower abdomen.
Do not acknowledge. Do not engage. I am stronger than the primal instincts aroused by being thrown over his shoulder.
My mind wins out and I glare at the back of his head, willing laser beams or something to materialize but nothing happens.
“How’s the death stare laser beam working, today? Still in development?”
“You think you know me so well you can tell when I’m flaring or using death stare lasers?” I huff as he walks us to the house.
“I told you, I have inatuation.”
“I refuse to acknowledge that terrible joke, thank you very much. As a matter of fact, you were wrong on both accounts, I wasn’t flaring and I wasn’t staring at you…I was checking the back of your head for an on/off switch. You’re a cyborg, right?”
Liar liar pants on fire.
“Sex robot, same thing.” I can practically see the smirk that’s accompanying his response.
He’s annoyingly good at this whole flirty banter thing but I don’t want to let him win, I can’t, it’s a matter of pride.
“Love of My Life,” I say sweetly. “Would you mind terribly letting me down so I can kiss you? It’s just been an awfully long time since our lips have touched, it’s criminal, really.”
He snorts. “Tell me I’m the greatest thing that ever happened to you, baby, and I’ll let you down.”
“I will do no such thing.”
“Then I guess you’re stuck hanging off my shoulder.”
“You’re about to get to a staircase. I’d rather take my chance that you’ll have to put me down soon anyway rather than lose what little dignity I have left.”
To my horror, Cole doesn’t hesitate as he climbs the steps, effortlessly pulling the roller bag up with one hand and holdingme tight to him with his other. “Shoulders are pretty broad, if you hadn’t noticed.”
“Yes, and I’m starting to understand what you sold your soul for.”
“My charming personality and dashing good looks?”
The thing about dangling over Cole’s shoulder while he’s wearing grey sweatpants is that I have basically one direction I can look in without straining my neck, and that direction is a view I try to avoid because I know I’m susceptible to its powers.
All hail the hockey butt.
“And something back here,” I say, because if I’m going to be the loving, doting girlfriend, I’m going to do it right and appreciate all of Cole’s better qualities.
Of which there are few, but they do exist.
“You and my ass,” he says with a wry smile evident in his tone. “Do you want me to leave the two of you alone?”
“That is a very tempting offer. You really should let it do the talking. The charm is unparalleled.”
“You make solid points,” he says, spinning suddenly and pushing the door to the house open with his butt—and my face.
“Oww!” I rub my head, an alarming giggle passing over my lips.
With a smooth movement, Cole sets me down, worry furrowing his brow, and I can’t help but smile at his guilty, tortured expression, a small smirk tugging at my lips.
