AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fair point. Do you knowwhyI call you Sparky?”
She huffed out a breath. “Really? We’re doing this?”
He held up his hand. “Hear me out. Please?”
She twitched her lips to the side and crossed her arms. “I’m listening.”
“As long as I’ve known you, you’ve been a feisty little thing.”
She arched an eyebrow but held her tongue.
A silver-haired woman skirted around them, giving them a curious look. “Lovers’ quarrel?”
“No,” Leilah told her.
The woman smiled knowingly and patted Ryan’s arm. “Hang in there, honey.”
“Thanks, ma’am. I’m trying.” She continued on her way, and he swallowed a laugh. Then he said, “And when you get fired up, your eyes spark.”
“My eyes do not spark.”
“But they do. They’re usually a soft brown, but when you’re mad, they fill with a golden light. Like a flicker of a flame. Or a spark. So, Sparky.”
She stared up at him. “That’s really why you’ve been calling me Sparky for the past twenty-five years?”
He nodded, his grin widening. “That’s really why. What did you think?”
She shifted her gaze to the ground and muttered, “I thought you were calling me a dog.”
“A dog?”
“Yeah, you know that cartoon dog from the fire safety campaigns when we were in elementary school?”
“The Dalmatian that was dressed like a firefighter?”
She nodded. “That’s the one. His name was Sparky.”
He tipped her chin up with his finger and pierced her with a serious look. “If there’s one thing you’re not, it’s a dog.”
She held his gaze. “What am I then?”
“You’re utterly gorgeous.” He moved closer and dipped his head.
She lifted her face to his. “Go on.”
“Fearless.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Determined.”
She swallowed.
He brushed his lips softly over hers and whispered, “Amazing.”
She raised herself onto her toes and pressed her mouth against his hungrily. She almost lost herself in the feeling, but then she pulled back. “What about Omar?”
Before he could answer, a group of teenagers walked out of the newsstand and hooted at them. “Get a room, oldsters.”
Ryan jerked away guiltily.
“Who are you calling oldsters?” Leilah shouted after the jeering teens.
