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“Off my gourd? No wonder you like that movie. You’re one pair of horn-rimmed glasses away from a librarian yourself.” He tried to think of a compliment worthy of her. How could he tell her how much tonight meant to him, without saying something ridiculous like Your eyes shine like diamo
nds?
Clara turned up her nose. “Thank you. Librarians are pillars of society.”
Josh wanted to dip her, like an old-timey dance move. He wanted to lower her into a dramatic arc and claim her lips for his own while everyone around them cheered.
He’d had to lie low at the studio so as not to attract unwanted attention from Naomi. The last thing he needed right now was to deal with the consequences of his ex-girlfriend-turned-business-partner’s rage.
Somehow, defying the laws of logic and science, Clara seemed genuinely interested in him. He was the luckiest son of a bitch alive.
“Next,” the ticket collector called.
Josh realized he and Clara had been standing, smiling at each other, holding up the line.
“Sorry,” he told the older couple behind them.
“No trouble,” said the woman, patting the arm of her companion. “We remember what the early days were like.”
He expected Clara to protest, but she simply gave him a shy smile.
Pride added an inch to his height. A stranger had mistaken them for a couple. No, wait. Not mistaken. A stranger had recognized them as a couple.
Josh’s stomach tumbled merrily, and he managed a nod.
As they headed to the concession counter, Clara reached for his hand. He tried not to let on the way his whole body tingled in response. Josh had participated in sex moves he couldn’t spell, but none of them had made happiness pump through his veins like holding hands with Clara.
She studied the menu. “Should we get M&Ms or Skittles?”
“Obviously we need to get M&Ms and dump them into the popcorn bucket.”
“People do that?”
Josh pressed his thigh fully against hers. “Oh, Clara. Stick with me. I’m gonna show you a whole new world.”
They found seats toward the back of the theater. Not the row occupied exclusively by teenagers who came to make out, but close enough that Josh figured he could at least get away with putting his arm around her.
“Are you ready?” Clara stared at the trivia on the screen with palpable excitement.
Josh stuck his tongue between his teeth. “To rumble?”
She awarded him a glare for his teasing.
“Oh no! The hot popcorn is melting all of the M&Ms.” She held up the evidence. Between her thumb and forefinger, she’d captured the perfect bite: two pieces of popcorn melded together by now-gooey chocolate.
Josh leaned forward and caught her offering between his teeth, letting his canines gently scrape against the pads of her fingertips. The salty sweet concoction and the contact with her skin made him almost dizzy with pleasure.
Clara blushed and grabbed her own handful. After a few moments of chewing the treat, she leaned back. “You’re a genius.”
“Wow. More compliments?”
She nodded solemnly. “Seriously. You’re the full package.”
Josh examined the half-empty auditorium with mock horror. “Hey, quit talking about my package. This is a family-friendly theater.”
When she laughed against his shoulder he swore the vibrations went all the way to his roaring heart. He found himself bending down and smelling her hair. I’m such a goner.
The lights dimmed, signaling the start of the previews. He’d never seen Rocky but he knew the story. A man no one dreamed could compete wound up holding his own in the ring with a champion.
