I wink at her. “Had to make you work for it.”
Bella gives me a look that tells me she thinks I’m insane. Yeah, probably, but she’s the only person who makes me feel this way. I’ll put all the blame on her for this one.
“As I was saying,” I drawl, and take out the crumpled bag. I don’t wrap presents—that shit just ain’t for me.
Bella once said,“It’s what’s on the inside that counts,” so I’m going to hold her to it.
“I got you something.” I hold the bag out to her, and just before she’s about to grab it, I snatch it just out of reach. “Manners, Princess.”
Those big brown eyes of hers turn into slits. “Please.”
“Please, who?”
She sighs, but there’s no mistaking the excited tilt of her lips. “Please,Mickey.”
God, it’s so good to hear her say my name. “That’s better.”
She holds out her hand expectantly, waiting for the bag, but when a breath passes, her expression turns hesitant, then worried, then scared, all in a matter of two seconds. The heat in my blood returns because that’s not something my Bella does. Not if I can help it.
“I’ve decided to drip feed.”
The creasing of her brows is seriously cramping my vibe.
“I want to see each of your reactions.” I wink, attempting to lighten the mood.
She bites her lip and looks up at me from her lowered lashes like she’s too scared to say what she wants. Which is completely fucked up by my standards. I like Bella whichever way she comes, but I like the real Bella the most.
AndJesus,do I want to kiss her.
“First up,” I say as I stick my hand down into the ripped paper bag and pull out a book.Rejected by the Alpha.She stares at the book, then me, then back at the book with so much bewilderment that I might as well have pulled out a gun.
Jerking forward, she goes to snatch it, but I hold it out of her reach. Bella looks around with frantic eyes before scrambling for me to grab the book.
“Down, Mouse,” I tease, putting two fingers on her forehead and gently pushing her back.
This wasn’t the reaction I was expecting, but I ain’t mad about it. She keeps glancing around like someone might see.
“Remember the day before you left, when we went to the bookstore?” With each passing second, her skin glows redder and redder. I cock my head. Why is she so flustered about the fact I got it for her? She picked it off the shelf, read the back, then checked how much she had in her wallet. Then promptly put it back. “I’ve held on to it since then.”
“You…” She’s completely beet red as she blinks a couple more times at my outstretched hand. Bella clears her throat and sits up straighter. “You can’t afford it.”
“Money can’t buy everything.”
Translation: I stole it.
My lips stretch into a grin. “But I’ll give this to you on one condition?”
“What?”
Her breath hitches, and she leans forward slightly, looking around again like someone might catch us doing something illegal.
“You read it to me.”
She blanches, completely mortified, before turning redder than she was before. Whipping her head around, she spots the only person in earshot—one person with headphones—and then she covers the side of her mouth like the guy might hear, and she squeals, “That’s anR18book.”
Oh.Oh, this is too good. I tsk and lean back against the bench. “Unrestricted access to written porn will ruin you, kid.”
Naughty, naughty girl.
