“Are youlaughingat me?”
“I would never.” But I am. I’m laughing so hard.
“Jake Cooper, if you don’t get your sexy ass out here and twirl in the rain with me, I am gonna kick your ass!”
My laugh subsides, and I watch her stand there, soaking wet with arms crossed against her chest. She looks…beautiful and happy. Despite the whole yelling at me thing, she’s happy. I want her to be happy.
Aw, hell.
I take my shirt off and place it on the dash. I hate the rain, but if I’m going to do this, I might as well have a dry shirt to come back to.
I step out into the cold, wet air.
“Holyfuck.”
“It’s so good, right?” she exclaims.
“Not exactly the word I was looking for, but…” I shove my hands into my pockets and try not to shiver. I don’t understand how she’s not trembling right now. It’sfreezing. My whole body tenses just trying to keep itself warm.
Her eyes scan over my chest, my arms, my abdomen. There’s a hunger in her gaze, and it heats me up despite the frigid temperature. I don’t take my eyes off her, eagerly waiting for what happens next.
“You can’t just stand there,” she says. “You have to twirl.”
“I’m not twirling.”
“You have to. It’s part of it.”
“Why can’t I just stand here? I’m in the freezing rain like a crazy person. Isn’t that enough?”
“Nope,” she sings. She tilts her head back and extends her arms out. “Twirl.”
I roll my eyes with a low grunt, then spin in a circle, my arms firm at my sides. “Happy?”
“That was not a twirl,” she giggles. “But yes, I'm happy. It’ll do.”
Being cold and wet is definitely one of my least favorite things, but the look on her face right now, that sparkle in her eye, yeah… It was worth it.
We stare at each other a few feet apart, small smiles dancing across our lips. I can’t help but think how perfectly beautiful she is. But,God, is it cold.
“Alright. Can we go now? I’m gonna get pneumonia out here.”
“You’re such a baby,” she teases. “Just one more minute.” She holds her face up to the sky again, her smile more wondrous than before.
The rain slows, and even though my jeans are soaked through, I don’t mind. I could never mind looking at her.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she says abruptly, walking to the truck. It makes me chuckle, her quick changes that march to her own beat. I never know what's coming next, but for once, I don’t need to.
We climb into our seats, and I crank the heat all the way up, shivering and shaking off the excess water.
“Hey!” she yells. “You’re spraying me!”
I hike a brow. “You’re already wet!”
“Yeah, but now I’m getting dry because you set the heat to hellfire.”
“Is that right?”
She nods with a teasing smile.
