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“See Barlow, the great thing about you is that you don’t have a spine,” I told her lazily.
All she had for me in response was, “Why don’t you drive to school? You have a car.”
I nodded. “Incredible powers of observation there, Barlow.”
“Shut up, Lombardi,” she muttered.
I snorted. “Was that almost an insult?”
The drizzle that had been throwing around threats all afternoon finally followed through on them, and great big fat rain drops started falling on and around us.
She huddled into her blazer. “At least one of us could be warm and dry…”
Dry was the opposite of what I wanted her to be around me, but bedraggled by rain was also not high on my kink list.
“While I appreciate you caring for my health, Barlow,” I told her. “I couldn’t possibly let you walk home alone by yourself. I’m far too much of a gentleman.”
Oh! If looks were daggers, I might have been a dead man. Those gorgeous grey eyes could throw disdain with the best of them. But still, she said nothing. Time to poke her a little harder.
“You seem particularly sour today. Has Carterstillnot asked you out?”
Well, it had worked. She was more miffed at me. But still, nothing. What the fuck was it going to take to get her to bite back?
“Seriously,” I continued, “the guy either has no balls or he’s playing you. If it was me, I’d have asked you out weeks ago.”
She threw me a side eye and I wondered exactly what was going through her head.
“If you actually ever did do that, I’m supposed to let you down gently by telling you Hadley’s waiting,” she said.
I paused for a moment as though I was thinking that through. “Huh. I’ll keep that in mind. But,” I hurried to catch up with her, “that doesn’t explain this funk you seem to be in.”
“Who says I’m in a funk?” she asked. The way she burrowed into herself further was a dead giveaway.
“I say you’re in a funk,” I replied.
“And you’re an authority now?”
I laughed, thinking she had no idea how high my authority went on funks. If funks had a hierarchy, I would be sitting pretty on a fucking throne.
“I’m not in a funk,” she said, as though the mere act of telling me made it true.
“Prove it. Give me one of those infamous Piper Barlow smiles.”
She glared at me instead.
I shook my head. “Hmm…close, but no.”
“You could be home by now.”
“Come on, Barlow,” I begged. “Give me a smile.”
“I’m fine. Thanks,” she said.
And fuck me if that wasn’t so close to sassing me… I wanted – no, needed – so much more of it. An unhinged, unstoppable desire rose up in me and its effect on me can only be called madness. It was the only explanation for what happened next.
I skated ahead of her, started up a kick flip, then ‘failed’, and landed on my arse in a puddle. Water was seeping into my boxers, but it was worth it to see the humour dancing in her eyes. She bit her lip and I’d be damned if she wasn’t the sexiest thing on the planet. Finally, she couldn’t fight it any longer and a full-blown smile crossed her face.
“There it is!” I cried triumphantly.
