I don’t have time to make a definitive decision.
I have a game to run, after all.
“Sparkle says, touch your nose!” I command.
Twenty children and one murderous-looking unicorn touch their noses.
“Sparkle says, hop on one foot!”
Hopping commences. Leo wobbles dangerously in his hooves.
“Sparkle says, do a twirl!”
Leo twirls. A child giggles so hard she falls over.
This is right. This is how it should be. Me in control. Leo suffering adorably.
But even as I issue commands, I can’t help noticing the way his forearms flex when he moves. The glimpse of throat visible above the onesie’s neckline. The way he catches my eye between commands, the light-up horn on his hood blinking accusingly at me, giving a look that says this isn’t over.
As always, the party winds down in a blur of sugar-crashed children, leaving Leo and me alone.
“Well,” I say brightly. “That was fun.”
Leo gives me a look that indicates fun is not his verdict on what just transpired.
“Your Sparkle Says game doesn’t even make any sense,” he says as he bends to pick up a rogue party hat. “Shouldn’t I be the one giving the commands? I’m Sparkle.”
“Sparkle is a vessel. I am the voice of Sparkle. It’s very spiritual,” I say. “Besides, you seemed to enjoy all that hopping.”
“I did not enjoy the hopping.”
“Your face said otherwise.”
“My face was plotting your demise.”
“Same energy, really.”
“Archie,” he says quietly, meeting my eyes. “There will be payback.”
Oh fuck.
The way he says it—low, deliberate, his eyes not leaving mine—sends a shiver down my spine. This isn’t the playful banter we usually trade. This is something else. A promise.
The air between us feels suddenly thick. Charged.
“Of that, I have no doubt,” I manage to say.
Leo’s gaze drops to my mouth. Lingers there.
I stop breathing.
For a long moment, neither of us moves. I can see the war playing out across his face—want battling with something else. Caution, maybe? Or common sense.
Common sense wins.
He takes a step back, and it feels like the temperature in the room drops ten degrees.
“I’m going to change,” he says abruptly.
