His breath caught, and someone pushed the pause button on life.
There were only inches of nothing but air between them. Her lips parted like she was either going to kiss the hell out of him or go after him with a verbal attack.
Honestly, he didn’t know which he would’ve preferred. But if she kissed him, she’d taste like caramel and chocolate and Molly, and he thought he could be really into that flavor combination.
The questions in her eyes echoed throughout him because, honestly, he didn’t know what the hell was happening between them.
So, he did the one thing he absolutely shouldn’t do. The two of them basically alone in a dark theater… He tweaked her on the nose like she was one of the boys, and he was being silly and hiding it from her.
Dad humor for the win.
Her eyes went wide, and her lips parted in apparent shock. Honestly, he hadn’t expected himself to do that either.
“Watch the movie.” He held the thread of her stare for only a moment before settling against his chair.
His retreat didn’t work because she followed him further into his space.
“I don’t like the movie,” she said. “And give me my nose back.”
He held up his hand, so she could claim her invisible schnoz.
She took it and mimed putting it back on her face. It made no sense why she still leaned over the property line of the arm rests into his area.
“Why don’t you like the movie?” he asked. She pinched her lips together.
Oh, hell no. She had a reason. And now he was invested in this conversation and wanted to know that reason.
“Molly?”
“I’m not saying.” This time she mimed zipping her lips. Things had been simpler when they ignored each other instead of interacting. Funny, though, he was becoming a fan of complicated.
“If you don’t like the movie, you can go do something else,” he suggested. Anything else. Anything other than chatting him up and making him question why he’d decided he needed to fast from female company.
“Perhaps I should read a book?” She lifted her eyebrows. “I like thrillers, too.”
Okay, fine, yes he’d hit up a coffee shop with a book instead of going on a date the other night. He wasn’t sorry about it. And he didn’t particularly like getting called out, either.
“Did you bring a book?” he asked, blinking innocently because she’d started it.
“No.” She fell back into her seat, letting out a little puff of air.
“Amateur,” he said under his breath, but loud enough that she’d for sure hear him.
She elbowed him in the arm. “I am the queen of dating. If I wanted to bring something to do, it wouldn’t be a book.”
Which begged the question…
Okay, he had to ask… “What would you bring?”
The sly way she smiled made him squirm, and he didn’t even know why.
“I’m not telling,” she said, all singsong. She gave him a feline grin that made parts of him stir that had been still for a very long time.
She was catnip, that was for sure.
“Are you going to make me guess?” he asked, since the movie had gone on ahead without them. And, really, this conversation was much better than anything happening on the screen.
“You can guess, but you won’t get it.”
