“Hey!” She pulls the cone away, appalled. “I said you could taste it, not eat half of it in one bite.” Her scold turns to a laugh and I’m pretty sure it’s the sweetest sound I’ll ever hear. God, how I’ve missed it. How I’ve missed all of this.
“You’re right,” I tell her with a smile, melted ice cream sliding out of the corner of my mouth as I fight to get down the very large bite. “Divine.”
“I can’t take you anywhere.” She tsks, reaching up to wipe ice cream out of my beard.
I catch her hand as she starts to drop it, not entirely sure what my next move is, only that I don’t want her to stop touching me...
Our eyes lock.
My breath quickens.
Heart hammering, I lean in, trapping her between me and the truck door.
“Penn.” My name is a whisper on her lips. Lips that I’m currently finding it very hard not to kiss.
And I almost do. In fact,notkissing her is maybe one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my entire life.
Time seems to slow down. The tension grows thicker by the second as my eyes dart to her lips for the tenth time in ten seconds.
I watch in rapt fascination as her tongue darts out, dragging across her lower lip—whether intentional or not, the action sets my insides on fire.
“Get in the truck, LV. Before I do something you don’t want me to do.” My tone is low, my restraint being tested beyond its limits.
She presses up onto her tiptoes so she can speak directly into my ear.
“There’s very little you could do that I wouldn’t want you to do,” she whispers seconds before her lips brush my earlobe, sending a shiver through my entire body that is currently firing on all cylinders.
Before I can respond. Before I can move. Hell, before I can even think, London turns and climbs into the truck.
I stand frozen for what feels like hours but is likely less than a few seconds, before I finally gain some semblance of composure. Straightening, I look up just in time to see London flash me a wide smile before she leans to the side, grabs the door, and all but forces me out of the way as she pulls it closed.
I mutter a curse as I force my feet to move. Crossing around the rear of the truck, I try to steady my breathing before opening my own door. Climbing inside the truck, the tension outside seems like child’s play when I close the door, sealing us inside the suddenly too small cab.
“Careful,” I warn, starting the engine without glancing in her direction.
“I don’t remember you being so serious.” She waits to say until I’ve pulled out onto the street.
“I don’t remember you being such a tease,” I fire back, throwing her a sideways glance because I can’t resist the urge to gauge her reaction to that statement.
She licks her ice cream, seeming completely unfazed.
“Who said I was teasing?” she says after a second lick.
“Don’t test me, LV.”
“Why? Would you fail?”
“Yes.” I don’t bother lying. We both know I would, in fact, fail.
Silence.
One minute.
Two.
It seems to stretch on forever.
“Can I ask you a question?” When London finally speaks again, the playfulness in her tone is gone.
