Stay calm, Poppy.
My cheeks burn when his voice drops even lower, a seductive kind of cool that has every part of me on fire.
“And yet, here you are sitting next to me, accepting my drink, and engaging in heated conversation.”
Oh no, he must notice my flaming cheeks.
Stop it, Poppy.
Stop falling for his charm.
“Actually, if I remember correctly, you tied up my date like some roid-rage psycho and forced your presence on me. That’scalled stalking, Wesley. But a guy like you probably already knew that.”
Wesley shrugs, that smile of his never fading. “Call it what you want. All I’m saying is that if throwing a drink in my face is what gets us our first physical contact, I’m all for it.” He says it like prom never happened, and I’m not sure what hurts worse, that he may have forgotten, or that his stupid charm is working on me.
My smirk returns, living for our banter like it's breathing life into me again. “Careful, Wesley. I’ve got excellent aim and no hesitation. You wouldn’t be the first guy I’ve ever thrown a drink at.”
“That’s okay,” he shoots back. “I’d be honored to be your last.”
That one gets me. I’m blinking blankly. My fiery comebacks hold my tongue hostage.
Don’t look into his eyes.
Don’t look into his eyes!
Crap, I looked into his eyes.
Say something before he realizes he’s getting to you.
“You’re not charming, you know that, right? You're a walking red flag with a soft jawline and the survival instincts of a moth.”
“Still here though. Flying straight toward the flame.”
“Good. I’ve got bug spray in my purse.”
Eddie lets out a low whistle, clearly trying not to laugh, while Amber does her best to hide her smile. She fails. I see it, and so does Wesley. He relaxes against his seat; his eyes still trained on me like it’s his mission in life to keep watch on me.
Stop staring at me like that!
“I don’t get it,” I blurt out. “How do you keep bouncing back? I’m verbally curb-stomping you, and you act like I’m reading you bedtime poetry.”
We lock eyes, the heat between us scalding. “Because underneath all that venom, I think there’s a part of you that actuallylikesthat I don’t scare easily. You don’t really want a guy who backs off.”
Don’t look into his eyes.I keep repeating it in my head, but they keep drawing me in; those damning pools of blue have me sinking like the Titanic.
Speak, Poppy! Damn it, speak!
“Or maybe,” I fire back, my heart palpitating beneath my shirt. “I just like watching dumb men self-destruct in real time.”
Wesley’s stupid grin only gets wider. “Then buckle up, beautiful. Because this is one man that’s ready to implode.”
“Stop calling me beautiful, Wesley. You know you don’t have a chance with me. Never have. Never will.”
Except at prom. You had a chance then.
The devilish look in his eyes tells me he knows it too.
“You wound me, Poppy. You make me out to be this dumb idiot, but I can see behind your vicious words. Hate me all you want, but I’ll still be here for you no matter what. It’s just the kind of guy I am.”
