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“Noted. But you won’t catch me.” She smirked and got into the passenger seat and shut the door.

I smiled and jogged across the street and waited.

When she jumped out of my Acura, I started after her.

She left the door to the car open. Smart. Saved time not closing it and I had to go around it, which bought her a few seconds. She was making good progress and I was beginning to think she might actually get away, until she hit the grass. Her sandal flew off. She looked over her shoulder at me. “Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit!”

I ambled closer and made a moaning sound, trying not to laugh, and she got frantic. She left it—and then her heel slipped out of the other one. She kicked that off too and started to run again and bolted around the side of the garage.

I thought for sure I’d lost her this time, but when I rounded the corner, I practically crashed right into her. She’d dropped her phone and went back for it. Rookie move.

When she saw me, she abandoned her cell in the grass and spun to get away from me, but I grabbed her by the waist. She shrieked and tried to wiggle out of my arms, but I pulled her closer. Both of us were laughing our asses off. I had her from behind and I put my mouth down on her neck and bit her gently. “You’re dead,” I whispered.

She giggled and turned in my arms to face me, her hands on my chest, the Toilet King pressed between us. We were both cracking up.

“Look at you,” I said. “Thirty seconds into the zompoc and you’ve already lost your shoes, your phone, and you’ve been bitten.”

She beamed up at me. “So what now?”

“I guess we just wait for you to turn.”

She laughed and I felt it rumble against me.

Then her eyes dropped to my lips. My eyes dropped to hers.

“You could always kiss me while we wait,” I said, my voice low.

“But it won’t count if I kiss you.”

“Well, if you only want to kiss me to check a box,” I said, talking to her mouth, “it’s better that we don’t.”

Her eyes came back up to mine. “But we’re supposed to check a box.”

“Call me old-fashioned, but I want to kiss someone who wants to be kissed.”

“I want to be kissed,” she said.

“By anyone? Or me specifically.”

“You.” She smiled coyly. “Specifically.”

I narrowed my eyes. “No. I don’t believe you.”

She gasped. “What?”

“If you really wanted to kiss me, you wouldn’t care who kisses who. You would just do it.”

“Well, do you want to kiss me?”

“Yes,” I said without even thinking about it. “I do. And not to check a box either.”

She bit her lip. “Well then?”

“Well nothing. I’m officially deciding not to kiss you. You have to kiss me first. To rule out any ulterior motives.”

“Isn’t not kissing me the ulterior motive? I thought we had an arrangement. You’re not going to hold up your end of the bargain?”

She pressed her hips into mine, and I had to suck in a breath. Something mischievous flickered across her face.