And spot her.
The sight goes through me in a thump of emotion—a punch to the heart, the solar plexus, everywhere. Again, my stride stutters to a halt.
She’s sitting on the hood of the Grouch, her booted heels resting on the chrome bumper. Her smile is lopsided, straining a little at the edges as I stand there staring back at her. The same wind that stroked me, tousles the gorgeous cloud of her shining brown hair, whipping it over her face, and she struggles to hold the mass back.
Happiness swells over me. In a crescendo it rises, vibrating in my bones. The smile on her face starts to turn uncertain, wobbling as though about to fall. Can’t have that. Not when her smile is the best thing I’ve seen all day. I grin back at her, full out so she can see what she does to me.
The answer is a light in her eyes, a slow, shy curl of her lips. She’s so fucking pretty. My feet move before I even think about it, pounding the pavement. It isn’t a run, but it’s close.
“Hey!” she says in greeting when I get to her.
My duffel hits the ground. I step between her legs, wrap my arms around her, and nuzzle the curve of her neck.
“Hey.” She smells so good. Sugar, spice, and everything nice.
It’s clear I surprised Pen with the hug. Her hands hover around me for a moment before she rests them on my shoulders. I almost sigh. An actual fucking sigh of contentment. As it is, I draw in another deep breath and let the feel of her sink into my bones.
“What are you doing here?” I ask her neck.Would she flinch if I kissed it?
Pen huffs out a nervous laugh. “I don’t know. I was just... nowhere near your neighborhood.”
The response filters through my contentment, and I lift my head. The bridge of her nose and the crests of her cheeks are flushed. I cup the side of her face to feel all that silken warmth. She’s so delicately small boned, my hand nearly engulfs her. I want to touch her all the time. And once I start, I find it difficult to stop.
Smiling softly, I run my thumb along her cheek. “That was a movie quote, wasn’t it?”
Pen blinks for a second. “It was.”
She sounds both impressed and happy at the catch. When she moves to speak, I cut in.
“Wait, don’t tell me. I know this. We watched it once for movie night.”
The corners of her eyes crinkle. “You... you remember that?”
“Uh-huh.”I remember everything. I close my eyes to concentrate. “Bunch of people living in a Seattle apartment building... Coffee and flannel. There’s a guy who wants to make a super commuter train and mentally converses with basketball stars to prevent orgasm—”
“Figures you’d rememberthat.”
My eyes pop open in triumph. “Singles! Right?”
Pen beams, sunset in her hair, eyes like stars. “You got it!”
“I’m so fucking happy to see you, Penny.” It comes out without forethought. But I’m not sorry. It’s the absolute truth.
Even so, she frowns a little in shock. “You called me Penny.”
Not what I thought she would address. “Everyone in my family calls you Penny.”
“You never did.” It’s not delivered as an accusation, more an observation.
And what can I say to that?I didn’t want to call you what everyone else did; I was already too much in the background of your world.
Her gaze darts over my face, waiting for an answer, starting to wonder. I slide my fingers into the satiny mass of her hair. “I saw you sitting here, so pretty and shiny like a new penny.”
“You’re making me blush,” she murmurs, averting her eyes.
“I know. It’s cute.” I brush a kiss over the tip of her nose. And she blushes some more.
Pen leans back with a stern look. “I hate blushing. Damn my pale skin.”
