“What if she doesn’t like me that way?” I murmur. “I can’t just risk everything. Losing her is not an option.”
Max’s eyes are locked on Aurora, not subtle at all. He shrugs. “You’re an idiot. She’s been eye-fucking you all year. Don’t you remember that night at the movies? You grabbed her hand during that scary scene, and she started shaking. I was right next to her—she turned beet red. She’s crazy about you, man! Or when Sarah Amos asked you to the dance and you turned herdown? Nova literally did a victory dance when she thought we weren’t watching. How do you not see it?”
“It’s just that—”
“What?”
Nova’s voice cuts through the noise, her arms crossed as she glares at some guy and Aurora mutters something in her ear.
“You’ve never seen a pair of legs before, huh?” she snaps at him.
I choke back a laugh, sipping my soda as I watch.
“Should we step in?” Max asks.
I shake my head. “Nah. She’ll call us if she needs help. Let her handle it.”
If we stepped in, it’d be like saying she can’t handle it on her own—and that’s not true. She knows how to stand up for herself. Besides, I’ve got zero interest in starting some alpha-male showdown to see who’s taller or who’s got the biggest dick. If she needed backup, she’d just whistle for me.
“Okay,” he chuckles, his eyes glued to the scene like it’s the best show in town.
The guy’s eyes roam over her—chest, legs, lips—like she’s nothing but a piece of meat. The way he’s looking at her makes my stomach twist, and I can’t even imagine how she must feel right now.
But then Nova whispers something in his ear, grinds her heel into his foot, and he yelps.
He steps forward, trying to intimidate her. Bad idea because she grabs his arm, twists it behind his back, and pulls until he winces.
I grin. That’s my girl.
“Target sells gum, mints, toothpaste, maybe even a personality if you’re lucky—pick something up. Until then, keep your hands to yourself. My ass’s not on clearance, and even if it were, you couldn’t afford it, sweetheart.”
His friends are laughing at him, the whole party laughing with them, while Aurora casually doodles on his face with lipstick. Aunt Evelyn’s self-defense classes paid off. Max and I exchange a grin, toasting with our cans.
Then Nova whistles at me. That’s my cue and Max and I head over. “Yes?” I ask, coming to her side.
She lets the guy go—he’s busy fumbling with his shirt, humiliated—and smiles at me. “Wanna go home?”
I nod immediately, but she crouches for a second, adjusting her boots. “Feet hurt?” I ask.
“A bit. Dancing two hours in these wasn’t my best idea.”
As we walk out, Max and Aurora ahead, I stop and start unlacing my Converse.
Nova halts mid-sentence, staring back. “What are you doing?”
I kick them off and kneel in front of her, unzipping her boot. Everyone’s eyes are on me—hers, Max’s, Aurora’s. Max flashes me a thumbs-up, and I stifle a laugh as I slide one of my sneakers onto her foot.
“Vincent, don—” she protests, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I look up at her with a smile. “It’s okay, Marshall.”
I slip the second shoe on, and I lace them tight. “Too snug?”
She shakes her head, cups my face in her hands, and kisses the tip of my nose. “My gentleman,” she whispers before turning away, hooking her arm through Aurora’s and leading the way outside.
I stay rooted to the spot, dumbfounded, staring at her even as she walks off. She’s stunning from every angle.
Max grins beside me. “You’re staring at her ass.”
