He leaned closer, giving me his undivided attention. “Like what?”
“Bold Beginnings is a pilot program. We’re experimenting and finding what works and doesn’t work so we can build more of them in different cities. If we succeed, we can change more than the High Point Neighborhood of Seattle. We can help kids across the country.”
“And what about you, personally?” he asked. “What do you want?”
I thought about it for a moment. I had all sorts of wants and desires for my personal life, but none that I’d ever really voiced. Being in the relative safety of my apartment with Landon after a near-death experience made me want to talk about them. “Same thing most women my age want.” I shrugged. “To fall in love. Maybe even start a family. See if I can’t do a better job than my parents did.”
He grabbed my hand and tugged it onto his lap, running his thumb over the back of it before meeting my gaze. “We’ll make the school safer, Mercy.”
“How? We already have bullet proof security doors that Larry bullied his way through. I’m not going to turn it into Fort Knox, and I won’t let fear of repercussions stop me from making necessary decisions like calling CPS,” I replied.
“I don’t expect you to. But I do expect you to let me help you. Security isn’t my field of expertise, but I’m no slouch. And I think Link and his buddies might have some good ideas. They look like a tough bunch. We’ll fix this. But I have to know something.” He tucked a stray hair behind my ear before hooking his finger under my chin. His eyes were heavy with concern as he studied me. “Do you always attack unruly parents with pepper spray?”
Humor twinkled in his eyes, obliterating the fear and tension I’d been feeling since the attack.
“I try not to make a habit of it,” I replied. “But when the situation calls for it, then hell yeah.”
He smiled, shaking his head at my fake badassery. “How’s your head feeling, Mercy, Pepper Spray Ninja?”
“If I was a real ninja, I would have anticipated Larry’s flying pistol of death move and gotten out of the way in time.” I gingerly touched the goose egg on the side of my head. “It’s sore, but nothing I can’t handle. I do feel like I should get some sort of badge of honor for being pistol whipped, though. Do they have anything like that in the military?”
“I think that goose egg is the best you can hope for. I’m glad you’re okay, but I’ll feel a hell of a lot better after that asshole has been tried and locked up for a while. I can’t explain how it felt to see you lying on the floor like that. Scared the shit out of me.”
His admission was far too intense for someone I’d only known for three days and kissed once. I’d made it clear I didn’t do casual sex, so he shouldn’t be hitting on me, but the concern in Landon’s eyes was anything but casual.
“I didn’t expect Larry to freak out like that. It was like he was having a seizure or something. And he was being such a baby about it; pepper spray hurts, but notthatbad.”
My gaze drifted back to the television. Something had shifted between me and Landon, and it was making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He still had a hold of my hand, and every time his thumb passed over my skin, my stomach did a somersault. He’d ordered Chinese takeout, but the more time I spent with him, the more certain I was that I wouldn’t be able to eat when it arrived.
But then again, that could be the concussion still making my stomach woozy. Landon had said that was a symptom.
“How do you know what it feels like?” he asked. “Have you ever been pepper sprayed before?”
Damn. I’d been hoping he wouldn’t pick up on that. “Mm-hm,” I answered.
I could feel his gaze on me. “Mm-hm as in yes? You’ve been pepper sprayed?”
“Sure have.”
“When? What happened?”
His eyes were all dark and stormy, and for the umpteenth time since I’d met Landon, I found myself wishing I was a better liar. If I could make up some cool story to explain away the experience, it would make me sound a lot less like a dork. Unfortunately, I was just a curious nerd who liked to try things first-hand.
“I’m kind of a scientist,” I said in an effort to set up my excuse.
He blinked. “What does that mean?”
“I like to research and collect data. I learn best by experiencing things for myself.”
His eyes widened. “Please tell me you didn’t spray yourself with pepper spray.”
He made it sound so awful. “It was just a drop, really. And only in one eye.” And now I felt like I’d done something stupid and was trying to save face. “It was for educational purposes, and I learned a lot from the experience.”
His jaw dropped. He forced his mouth closed and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed, no doubt trying to come up with a politically-correct response.
Before he could tell me how stupid I was and piss me off, I plunged ahead, willing him to understand. “There’s a sting to it, and it’s a little disorienting, but it doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as this bump on my head. I had to try it out for myself.”
“You could have watched a YouTube video about it, you know?”
