“Say… cheesy puffs.”
“Ozrik—”
“Say… penis.”
If he’d been close to smiling before, he wasn’t anymore. “Stop it.” He reached for the camera, but I backed away, laughing.
“Oh no you don’t. Say… Ozrik is the handsomest devil I’ve ever met.”
“No.”
I peered mischievously over the top of the camera and wiggled my brows. “Say… Ozrik makes my dick hard.”
I meant it playfully, and yes, I was alluding to earlier, hoping I could get the truth out of him, but the comment backfired.
The color drained from Gale’s face. Horror filled his eyes. He looked like he wanted to vomit.
I lowered the camera. “Hey. I was fucking around.”
He launched forward and tore the camera from my hand. “Leave me alone.” Fumbling, he stuffed it back in the case, but his hands shook so violently, he struggled.
“Gale.”
“I said leave me alone,” he shouted.
“Look at me.”
“No.” The guy seemed ten seconds from a full-blown meltdown or panic attack.
I shuffled to my knees and removed the case from his hands, setting the camera in the footwell.
He scrambled to turn around or get away, but I grabbed his shoulder, keeping him in place by pressing him against the window. He instantly surrendered, squeezing his eyes closed as though I might hit him.
What the hell?
“Gale.”
“Please leave me alone.”
“Gale. Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. Look at me.”
When I touched the underside of his chin, he tensed. Warily, he opened his eyes. The torment rippling through him was unmistakable.
“I’m sorry. I was messing around. All I wanted was to take a nice picture of you.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
“I see that. I’m done. I swear.” By this point, I was across the middle console, kneeling partly on his seat, invading his space. Gale’s back was glued to the door.
I should have returned to my seat, but I didn’t. The tortured look in his eyes about killed me, especially when I noticed the glassy sheen on their surface.
“Relax.” I brushed a thumb over his jaw. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
He squirmed, each breath hitching. “W-what are you doing?”
I had no idea, but I couldn’t stop.
Gale didn’t take his eyes off me. Like he didn’t trust me. Like I was the enemy.
