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I reach for her fingers after scooting to the edge of my seat, and nearly shudder from the contact.
“Logan, stop it.” She tries to retract her hand, but I hold it firmly, stomach rolling.
Just as I feared, every one of her nails are chewed to the quick, and various cuticles bear tiny scabs, while others are red and angry.
“Something bothering you?” The question’s rougher than I intended, fracturing a piece of my stony façade.
Yes, her fiery gaze shouts.
“No,” she says instead.
We’re face to face, close enough that I can count her steady breaths, scent the spice on each exhale, and hear the soft rustle of her skirt when she moves.
My parents weren’t the touchy-feely type, something Penelope knew from one of many secret conversations inside a dark, dusty barn. But she never used to mind whenever my hand sought hers or when I intentionally sat too close, just so our knees or shoulders would touch.
Straight, pretty teeth grip her bottom lip as that same urge to touch her surfaces.
Except, I want to feel more than a passing brush of hands.
I want to feel her.
“I thought you would have dropped the habit by now.” My voice is strained, gritty.
Get it the fuck together, man.
Her gaze falls to my chest with a touch of sympathy. “Some habits are harder to break than others.”
My body goes unnaturally still.
Over the years, I’ve been careful to keep the gnarled, ugly marks hidden—both physical and otherwise—but did I honestly think she would forget the young boy who’d rather feel pain than stand up for himself?
I release her, settling back against the seat in grim silence.
For all the things that have changed between us, the fact that she can read me so easily, clearly, has not.
“We have business to discuss.” It takes pure willpower not to fidget beneath her probing stare, and I smooth my palm down the front of my silk tie in an effort to hide my unease.
Dad always said my lack of a poker face and ‘soft’ heart were my biggest weaknesses, and it took one instance of losing him a deal because I couldn’t keep my composure to learn I needed to fix them both.
“As a newer business, Summit Estates needs sponsors to help fund advertising, marketing, and networking. Your job today is to help me secure a partnership with one of Keerah’s top-grossing attractions, Adventure Park.”
“Wait, you want my help?” Her knee starts to bounce. “I didn’t know this was a sink or swim type of situation.”
“What better way to learn than to be motivated by sharks?” Reciting my father’s words is easy to do when they’ve been seared on the inside of my skull.
“That’s cute,” she quips. “Did you find that little nugget on the end of a popsicle stick?”
Smartass.
“Are you always so lackadaisical?”
“I don’t know what that means, but I’ll assume it’s ah-maz-ing,” she retorts. “And the answer is yes, yes, I am.”
“It means that, obviously, you don’t take shit seriously.”
Penelope tilts her head. “Should I borrow the stick you have shoved up your ass or…?”
I nearly crack a smile. “Have you been looking at my ass, sunshine?”
