Busted.
My heart picks up speed. I turn stiffly back to the sidewalk and walk as rapidly as I can without looking unbalanced.
Behind me, I hear the door open and keys jangle. Then thumping footsteps down the stairs.
Don’t come this way, don’t come thi?—
“Why’re you running away?”
I pretend I don’t hear him.
“I can open back up for you if you need a book.”
I peek at him. “No, thanks.”
“Then why were you coming up the stairs?”
“I wasn’t. I was stretching my legs.”
“Ah, right right right. Makes sense.” When I don’t say anything, he says, “Where’re we going now?”
We?I look at him sidelong. If he were anyone else, I’d think he was flirting. Or, maybe, ifIwere anyone else.
“Nowhere,” I say.
For an entire block, we walk in tense silence. I take him in through the corner of my eye. Again with the open jacket and collar. His flannel is a dark green this time, and his jeans are snug enough that when he turns to push the pedestrian call button on the lamppost, my gaze has no choice but to drop to his ass.
I tear my eyes away and jaywalk across the empty intersection.
He follows me.
When we reach the other side of the street, I pause, waiting for him to go on his way.
He stops, too.
I finally face him and flap my arms. “Well?! Which way are you going?”
He mimics my arm-flap, looking like an overgrown child. “It’s a secret.”
He didn’t do anything to hurt me that night at dinner, I remind myself.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I look past him, wishing traffic was worse so I could push him into it.
“You wish it were rush hour right now, don’t you.”
I’m stunned into honesty. “Yes.”
It’s his grin that does it, has me laughing incredulously. His eyes shine when I do. It brightens his whole face. He’s always handsome, but the pleasure in his expression takes it to another level, makes him almost too beautiful to look at. His full lips, glimmering kind eyes, and ticklish-looking beard are almost too much.
The wind blows, and my hair flies everywhere, but I’m not cold.
“You know how insufferable you’re being,” I say without heat.
His eyes dim a fraction. “What do you want?”
“Just leave me alone,” I say on a shrug.
The mischief fades from his expression. “Okay, Brie. I’ll leave you alone.”
