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He backs off a step, a frown twisting his mouth. “Sorry. You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. You just scared me. The more important question is, were you just staring at my butt?”
For the second time in an hour, I witness Devin Hawthorne’s brown orbs scanning my body from head to toe. “Technically, I was staring at your legs, but I’ll admit peeking at your ass.”
Okay then. A+ for honesty, but I refuse to acknowledge the warmth his hitting on me conjures in my belly. Too bad for Devin, Dad taught me how to play these games. Plunking one hand on my hip, I lift the other and swirl my index finger in the air. “Turn around.”
His tongue peeks out of his mouth as he squints and cocks his head. “Say what now?”
“Give me a spin, Sir Cocky Pants.” I motion with my hand again. “If you get to look, I do too.”
“If you think that nickname bothers me, you’ve got another thing coming, Spitfire.” Devin lifts his arms and does a slow twirl, throwing in half a booty jiggle for my benefit. “Satisfied?”
“Eh, not bad.”
“Not bad?” Looking toward the bookstore, then back, he presses close enough for his cologne to tickle my senses. “If your parents weren’t footing the bill for this trip and my sister hadn’t given me strict rules about you, I would show you how not bad this is.”
Laughter rolls off my tongue. I’m not going anywhere near that comment. Lifting my hair off my sweaty neck, I check out the two suitcases behind Devin. God, they’re ginormous.
He smirks. “Think they’ll fit?”
“Maybe? I can move one of mine into the back seat, if necessary.”
Devin grabs the handle of the closest one and rolls it to the back of my car. “That’s all you brought?” He hoists his first bag into the truck, then reaches for number two.
“My parents are shipping my fall and winter stuff in a month. I’ll buy everything else I need for the dorm when I get to Berkeley.”
“Makes sense.” He throws his second suitcase into the trunk and begins undoing my shoving and rearranging with a muttered, “Huh.”
“What’s with the huh?” When he doesn’t reply, I reach for the trunk’s hood, lowering it and stopping his game of luggage Tetris.
Devin pulls his hands before I smash them, his arms falling to his sides. “Geez, you’re pushy.”
“Not usually,” I admit, because I’m not. I’m an easygoing girl, but something about Devin has me standing my ground. “We’re going to spend a lot of time together. It’s probably best if we don’t make under-the-breath comments.”
Slapping his palm on my trunk, he pushes the hood up and shoves his face into my space. “Don’t worry, Nova. If I have a comment to make, I won’t be saying it under my breath. That’s not my style.” I slink back. “As for that ‘huh’ you seem so interested in, it’s not that exciting. I expected fancy designer luggage, not these scratched-up suitcases covered in faded, peeling stickers. It was a nice surprise.”
I fold my arms, waiting for his punch in the stomach to land. There must be a punchline to his compliments. “Why’s that?”
“It means you’re not as stuck up as your flashy car and flawless beauty make you seem.”
I gather my breath, but the words won’t come. What a sugar coated insult. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you not to judge a book by its cover?”
“In my experience, stereotypes are there for a reason. Most people prove me right.”
“Well, I look forward to proving you wrong.” Keeping my stance, I step aside. “Carry on.”
After a few curses and more shifting, he releases a heavy sigh. “Are one of these packed for the road?”
“Um, yeah.” I move to point out my travel bag while he shifts, causing us to collide.
“Shoot.” He steadies me by the arms. “Warn a man before you sneak into his space.”
“Me? You seem to be on a mission to cause me bodily harm.” I shake my hair from my face and meet his gaze. “You can’t tell me you didn’t notice me standing here.”
He squeezes my bicep, and his finger’s pressure sends goosebumps scattering over my arms before he drops his hand and turns back to our luggage. “Oh, trust me, I noticed. I just didn’t expect you to jump into the fray. Which bag?”
“The smaller one.”
