I pull open the desk drawer so violently that it nearly detaches from the desk. After grabbing my purse and phone, I slam the drawer shut seconds before I make a beeline toward the door.
“Where do you think you’re going? Your shift isn’t over!” he hollers to my back.
“Then fire me, asshole.” I shove the door open with so much force that it slams into the wall before snapping closed with a bang.
CHAPTER EIGHT
London
Eleven years earlier...
“You were amazing!” Penn jogs toward me, pulling me into his arms the instant he reaches me. I breathe in his intoxicating scent, my heart doing that weird flutter in my chest that it seems to always do when Penn touches me.
“Thanks.” I try to play it cool when on the inside I feel like there are enough butterflies in my stomach that I’m not entirely sure how my feet are still planted to the earth.
Stepping back to look up at him, the rush has nothing to do with the recital that just ended and everything to do with the boy standing in front of me.
I don’t know when it happened. When Penn went from my friend to the boy who makes me feel like my heart is going to fall out of my butt every time our eyes meet. All I know is that itdidhappen and now I don’t know how to act around him.
I overthink everything. Every word. Every move. Every breath. He’s gone from being the person I’m most comfortable with to someone who makes me feel anythingbutcomfortable, but in the best way possible.
“I’ll never understand how you can bend and flip like that.” He runs a hand through his dark hair that now hangs almost to his shoulders.
I have a sudden flash ofmyhand running through those silky locks and I’m not exaggerating when I say my knees tremble a little at the thought.
“Practice.” I grin. “Lots and lots of practice.”
“So I talked to your parents and asked if me and my mom could take you out for dinner and ice cream. They said yes. I mean, if youwantto go.”
“I do,” I say too quickly.
“Cool.” He rocks back on his heels in that easy way of his.
“Cool,” I agree, inwardly cringing at how stupid I probably sound saying the same thing he just said back to him.
“My mom is waiting for us in the car.”
“Okay. Let me tell my parents I’m leaving.”
“I’ll go with you.” He steps up next to me, taking my hand in his. I nearly squeal in delight but do my best to keep it together. It’s not like Penn has never held my hand before. So why does this time feel so different?
We find my parents easily enough and after a brief exchange, I leave with Penn. It’s dark when we push our way outside and while normally the dark doesn’t bother me, I cling to Penn a little tighter anyway. Always my comfort.
“So I have a confession to make...” Penn stops short of the parking lot. “I know I said I asked your parents ifwecould take you to dinner, but my mom isn’t actually going to dinner with us. She’s just going to drop us off, if that’s okay.”
“So you lied...” I tease, though I don’t know if it comes out teasingly or not, given how tight my throat feels at the moment.
He drops my hand as he turns toward me, and I immediately miss the contact, so much so that I almost reclaim his hand because it feels impossible not to.
That’s how Penn Kade makes me feel. Impulsive. Like I’m not in control of my own body or emotions when he’s around.
“Well, it wasn’t a total lie.”
Does he seem nervous all of a sudden?
But that can’t be right. Penn doesn’t have a nervous bone in his body.
“Okay.” I don’t try to hide my confusion.
