Page 26 of Puck Me Back to Life

I shrug. “Sure.”

“From me?” The question sounds oddly sincere. Like he genuinely can't imagine why someone would ask for his opinion.

Something about that bothers me. “I asked you, didn't I?”

For a second, he just stares, then a faint flush appears across his cheeks. Interesting. The reaction is small enough that most people would miss it. I don't.

Hayes immediately starts thinking. The transition is almost comical. One second, he's surprised. The next, he's mentally organizing a library.

“Okay.” He shifts slightly in his chair. “If you haven't read much, I'd probably start with Steinbeck.”

I nod. “Okay.”

He continues. “Maybe East of Eden.”

The enthusiasm creeping into his voice catches me off guard. For the first time since I've met him, he sounds genuinely interested in something.

“Or maybe The Great Gatsby.”

I keep watching him.

“Actually, Gatsby might be a better starting point.”

The flush is still lingering. His eyes are brighter. The whole thing is weirdly charming. And distracting. Dangerously distracting. Because somewhere in the middle of listening to him talk about books, my brain decides to focus on something else entirely.

The way he immediately responded when I told him to recommend something.

No hesitation. No argument. No teasing.

Just immediate compliance.

The thought arrives before I can stop it.

I wonder if he's always like that. If I told him to kiss me, would he? I wonder— No.

Absolutely not. We're not doing that. I force my attention back to the conversation.

Unfortunately, I've missed several seconds of it.

Hayes is still talking. “...and if you like that one, you could probably move on to⁠—”

I have no idea what he just said.

“—and that's why I think it's a good place to start.”

Silence.

Hayes narrows his eyes. I maintain eye contact.

Confident.

Calm.

Completely lost.

“You didn't hear a word I just said.”

Damn it.