That finally gets a chuckle out of her, making her cheeks flush with warmth.
“Come on,” I push her further into the room with a hand on her spine. “Sky and I tried these but I want to know what you think.”
Her brows raise, and an uncomfortable laugh slips out.
“What?”
She smooths her hair over her shoulder, “It’s just funny.”
I don’t understand what’s funny, and I hope she can fill in the blanks for me before I feel like an idiot.
“Not like laughing out loud, but in an ironic way,” she says by way of explanation, but I’m still missing something. “This just feels incredibly similar to the night we met.”
“I was supplying you with booze?” I laugh.
Her teeth sink back into her lower lip before she answers, “Sort of. You wanted me to try some sparkling something and I was scared I wouldn’t have the proper reaction.”
“I’m sure you did fine.”
Her smile grows, eyes glittering with humor. “I didn’t. I hated it and you ripped it out of my hand.”
My brows drive up into my hairline as I take a threatening step forward, “You hated the sparkling? How dare you?”
She places a hand over her chest defensively, “I don’t likeanythingsparkling. I don’t even drink soda because I can’t stand the bubbles.”
Wrapping both hands around her waist, I keep her from stepping away from my advances, “Can’tbelieveyou. What a betrayal.”
She swallows, leaning backwards and putting her hands on my chest. “In my defense, Ilovedwhatever you gave me next. I think I had four or five glasses of it.”
My eyes narrow, and I make her yelp by lifting her up onto the table. “I’m deeply offended. You’re gonna have to make up for that, you know.”
“I should have just lied,” she laughs. “But how was I to know I was insulting a future serial killer?”
Her tone is playful, but it doesn’t take away from the strange feeling her words instill in me.
We barely passed each other before everything changed. If things had been different, could any of it have been avoided?
“I get it, you know,” I tell her instead of harping on theparts of the past that I can’t remember, choosing instead to enjoy the memories I get to make now.
“Get what?” she smiles.
“Why I was so obsessed with you.” A few seconds pass as all she can do is blink, frozen by the plain confession in my words. There’s no way it was a secret to her that I was head over heels from only a few sentences, but hearing it aloud is probably scary for someone who’s been made to believe they have to earn affection. “Even though you were insulting my life’s work.”
Her jaw drops with indignation, and she playfully slaps my chest. “I told you I loved the other one. It was some red, sweet something. Honey Boy!”
“There’s no fucking way I let Skyler name something that,” I groan.
Her head falls back in a full belly laugh, and I watch in rapture as the sound escapes her throat, craving to run my fingers along the muscles there and feel as more beautiful noises follow.
“Well, whatever that is, I’m sure there’s a few bottles out on the floor somewhere,” my voice sounds strained as I inch closer, my legs barely touching her knees and booted calves as they dangle over the edge. “But for now, I want you to try these.”
“As long as none of them are bubbly,” she agrees, her eyes meeting mine finally.
Her gaze is so fucking hungry, like the reminders of when we met have brought up all the things we should have been doing that night instead of going our separate ways.
Her eyes drift down my neck, stalling on the tattoo before dropping lower, and I’m frozen in her sights, waiting for something.Anythingthat I could possibly interpret as an invitation to get closer.
Instead, she breaks our wicked staring contest, grabbing the bottle next to her hip. “What’s this?”
