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“I would smack you if you weren’t driving.” She shook her head. “You’re so damn smug. I do not play these kinds of games, Theodore.”
“I’m not playing any games. I’m driving you to a show an hour out of town. A show I didn’t need to go to because I could have easily hit the performance during the week. I can’t control what other people do or the texts that show up on my phone. You don’t know me well, I get that. But I’m straightforward, baby. Games are not in my wheelhouse. I think you’re gorgeous, interesting, sexy, and when you don’t have a massive wall of spikes around you, the kind of soft I could sink into. Maybe I get a kick out of you being jealous, but that’s only because it lets me know you might be interested too. That’s not a game—that’s me getting a read on you. Do you get me?”
A breath whooshed out of her. “You can’t just say shit like that. No one says shit like that.”
“Like what?”
Her hands flailed in the air in front of her. “All that you just said. People don’t just lay it on the line. It’s not—”
“I don’t know what other people do. I don’t really care.”
I could feel her aiming eye daggers at me. “I hope you don’t expect anything like that from me.”
I grinned. “Nope. I don’t have any expectations.”
“Good. Because people don’t talk like that,” she muttered.
“It’s obvious you’ve never been treated the way you deserve.”
“Or is it possible I’ve been treated exactly how I deserve and you are grossly overestimating who I am?”
My hands tightened on the wheel. “Don’t say shit like that about yourself.”
She inhaled sharply, then reached out and traced her fingertip over my tight knuckles. “Okay. I won’t. But don’t break your steering wheel. I need a good grade in this class. In order to get that, I have to attend this performance. If you break your car, I’ll have to hitchhike and—”
Grabbing her hand, I brought it to my mouth and bit down on her knuckles. “Stop talking.” I rubbed my lips along the smooth skin on the top of her hand.
“’Kay. But do you think I can have my hand back?”
“Nope.”
“’Kay.”
Helen wanted blueberries. She’d never say it, but I saw her eyeing people around us eating them. I rose from the blanket I’d brought for us to share, and she looked up at me.
“Stay here.”
She rolled her eyes and gestured to the stage. “Where would I go?”
I picked up a piece of her hair, rubbing it between my fingers. “Stay, Tiger.”
There was a stand at the opening of the park selling blueberries in small baskets. The price was astronomical, but I didn’t blink. I wanted to see her reaction when I gave them to her.
Helen wasn’t alone when I got back. Seated beside her on his own blanket was the big motherfucker from class who’d taken it upon himself to be her bodyguard. Lachlan. And he was holding out his own basket of blueberries, which Helen helped herself to.
I thought he was cool, but I was reconsidering.
I sat down beside her. She turned, grinning. “Look who’s here.”
Lachlan jerked his chin at me. I stared at him, unblinking. He chuckled as he turned away.
I shoved the blueberries at Helen. “Now you have all the berries in the world.”
Something small and cold hit my forehead. I picked it up, my eyes flicking to Helen’s. Her red lips were spread wide. She’d thrown a blueberry at me.
“Now you have one. Let me know when you want another one.”
I threw it back at her. “Brat.”
