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“Sounds perfect. We’ll take three tickets.”
“Three?”
“Yeah,” he pointed to his security standing off behind them slid a couple of bills under the glass, and took the stubs.
It took ten minutes to wait in line, get their sodas and popcorn, and find their seats. They got quite a few sidelong glances as people noticed him in his Shadow outfit, but no one approached them. And when they entered their theater, the lights were on, and no one was in the room yet. His guard stayed behind, standing at the door.
“I love these comfy seats,” Riley said as they reclined their chairs all the way.
“The best way to watch a movie.” He took off his gloves, reached into the bucket and grabbed a handful of popcorn.
Riley pulled out her phone and silenced it. “We have a while before the movie stars.”
“Anticipation is part of the fun.”
She gave him a devilish grin. “We could just make out for thirty minutes.”
He scoffed. “And be caught in a scandal?”
A funny look crossed her face, and she glanced at the empty room. “I see no paparazzi around.”
“Right. But anyone could walk in at any moment.”
She inched closer to him. “Kind of exciting, right? We could get caught.”
Where did that sassiness come from? He blinked at her. “I don’t even know who you are right now.”
Her smile slowly faded. “I’m…sorry.”
That wasn’t at all what he expected to hear from her. He’d been playing around. He expected her to be sassy back. “Why are you sorry?”
She pushed up her glasses with one finger and turned from him. “I forgot myself for a moment. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Now, wait a minute. Get back here.” He took her hand in his, and she turned back to face him. “I like the sassy you. Don’t run from it. Embrace it. Let your hair down every once in a while.”
A blush graced her cheeks, and she had a hard time meeting his gaze. “Well…”
“Don’t think too much about it. I’ve seen you let loose. You just have to be willing to let me see the real you.”
She stared at him, and something unspoken passed across her features. And then that same look of guilt he’d seen earlier flashed in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
An unseen door closed between them, and Jalen couldn’t understand what had just happened. Had he said something offensive? Or was he imagining it and overthinking everything? Instead of continuing the conversation, he simply placed a kiss on her nose and sat back into his seat.
She closed her eyes and smiled. “That was nice.”
The lights dimmed, and the pre-movie ads started. They were still alone in the theater. He reached over and gently brushed his fingers over the side of her face. “Your skin is so soft. How do you keep it that way?”
“Moisturizer,” she murmured, her eyes still closed. She snuggled into her seat, moving closer to him.
He ran a finger along her jawline, then over her lips. She grabbed his hand, stopping his progress. Her eyes opened. “You might not want to do that.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t know what I will do if you continue.”
The sassy Riley was back. He grinned and inched closer. “You’re making me curious.”
“You don’t want to face the consequences.”
