“Nah. You didn’t leave them anywhere. I’ve got them for safekeeping.”
Her eyes laser in on the keys, then snap to my face.
“Give those back.” Her face is pinched in this adorable frown and I realize I like riling her up like this. It might just become my new favorite pastime. I toss the keys in the air a few times and her eyes track the movement, but not once does she try to grab them.
“I’m good. You don’t need them yet anyway. Practice starts in fifteen.” I look at my non-existent watch. “You’ve got an hour and a half before you need your keys. I’ll just hang onto them until then.”
Her nostrils flare, and the look on her face has my dick jumping to attention.
Fuck, I like that look. Yeah, it’s a little messed up, but when she’s like this, pissed off and ready to wage war, she’s alive. Being attracted to Cecilia Russo was not in the plans but I can’t say I’m all too upset by it. If I’m going to spend damn near every waking moment with the girl, I might as well have fun while doing it. A little innocent flirting never hurt anyone.
“I’m not going to your stupid practice.”
I tuck her keys back in my pocket and shrug. “Unless you feel like taking a nice long walk, you are.”
Her eyes narrow, and she takes a menacing step toward me. That’s right, show me how tough you are. “Give. Me. My. Keys.” She holds her hand out. Sorry babe, no way am I making it that easy.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Gabriel!” She stomps her foot. Literally stomps it like a five year old child. Fucking adorable.
“Want me to say it in Spanish?No.” Quoting teen wolf isn’t something I should necessarily be proud of but, I’m a little disappointed when she doesn’t pick up on the pop culture reference.
“Urgh! You’re being unreasonable!” Cecilia goes for my pocket, but I twist out of reach. “Just give them to me.” She lunges for me again, her fingers grazing over my cock. I don’t think she notices, but I sure as hell do. I let it slide the first time, but I’m fully erect after the second and that shit is bound to be noticed.
She fights me, trying to get to her keys. Her hair is a mess around her face, and each time she reaches for me, I swat her hand away or jerk to the side at the last possible second.
Hmm. This is fun.
At one point I race around her car and she surprises me by giving chase. I love it. Riling her up like this. Her face is flushed, eyes bright.
She manages to hook one arm around my waist from behind, not that it’ll do her much good. I let her blindly search for the seam of my pocket—and she again rubs her hand over my dick. With a muffled groan, I twist around and pin her in place against her Jeep.
My arms cage her in on either side, offering no chance of escape even though I’d been the one running.
Thrown by the move, her eyes widen, pupils dilating until black all but consumes every trace of brown that’d been there before.
Her breathing picks up speed and a look of fear flashes over her face.
I hesitate. She shouldn’t be afraid. Not of me.
Who hurt you?I want to ask, but I know she won’t tell me. Not yet. I reach out and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, hoping she’ll calm down if I give her a moment but instead she sucks in a sharp breath.
She wants me to back off. She’s all but screaming it out loud with the rigid set of her shoulders. The lines bracketing her mouth. I could make this easy on her. Step away without her having to ask. That’d be the gentlemanly thing to do.
It’s too bad I’m not in a hospitable mood.
Never in my life has someone mistaken me for a gentleman. Which isn’t to say I’m a bad guy. I’m just not known for going out of my way for outsiders. And, unless you’refamiliaor on my team, you’re an outsider. Only maybesheisn’t. Or at least, she doesn’t have to be. Hmm. Something to think about, not that it changes things today.
Nothing about living life is easy. It’s hard and messy and sometimes you experience uncomfortable shit.
Cecilia needs to find a way to cope. To get a handle on wherever this fear is coming from.
I won’t be like everyone else in her life and step back at the first signs of her discomfort. It doesn’t look like anyone else is going to push her, so I will.
