6. Kind Of Deserve A Punch In The Face
6
KIND OF DESERVE A PUNCH IN THE FACE
SETH
There’s just something about this vibrant Australian woman that draws me in. Her sunny personality and confidence are hard to resist, and combined with her gorgeous curves, long brown hair and beautiful green eyes, I’ve been finding it hard to think of anything other than kissing her whenever we’re together.
Linc noticed almost immediately and has been encouraging me to make a move. Actually, his exact words were, “If you don’t make a move on that woman, I am going to have to tell Claire that you need more sessions when we get home.”
Threatening me with more therapy sessions appears to have been the kick up the ass that I needed. That and the little yellow sundress that she’s wearing, her tanned skin on display while it skims along her perfect curves.
When I took Kylie’s hand, it felt so right. Like our two hands fit together perfectly.
We walk through the city, neither of us acknowledging the hand holding, but there’s electricity in the air that wasn’t there before. I’ve caught her looking at me a few times while we’ve walked side by side towards the Trevi Fountain, and by the time we get there, I’m wondering if I should just ask her if I can kiss her.
Just as I’m working out what to say that won’t sound weird or would totally kill the mood, Kylie lets out a gasp and drops my hand. She covers her mouth with both hands while she stares at something in front of us.
“You okay?” I ask, unsure if something is wrong or if she’s just in awe of the fountain.
I look over to where she’s staring and see what appears to be a professional photo shoot set up on the other side of the fountain. A male photographer is snapping photos of women in various stages of undress while they pose with the fountain behind them.
“Asshole!” she exclaims, and I’m thrown by the venom behind her words.
“What?” I’m trying to work out what I’ve done, but Kylie seems to have forgotten I’m even there.
She glances around, and I’m utterly lost as to what is going on while she stomps over to a little food cart that has been set up nearby. She briefly exchanges words with the vendor before purchasing a bottle of Coke and tearing the lid off.
“Kylie, what’s going on?” I ask, following her when she stalks towards the other side of the fountain.
She finally seems to remember I’m still here, pausing so that I can catch up. “Do you remember I told you about my friend Brianna?”
“Yeah?” I’m sure the confusion is written all over my face while I try to work out how her friend in Australia could have anything to do with why she’s acting so weird now in the middle of one of the busiest tourist attractions in Rome.
“Well, last year, her rich, older boyfriend dumped her. Didn’t even talk to her about it, just locked her out of their apartment after putting all her stuff in her car and fucked off overseas with his assistant.” She is shaking now, and I’m finding myself oddly turned on by the fire in her tone.
“Okay… That is a real dick move, but what has that got to do with whatever is going on now?”
“That is her ex.” She points over towards the photo shoot, and I follow the direction of her finger. She is pointing at the photographer, who is calling out directions to the models in short dresses in front of the fountain.
“Oh.” I scrutinise the guy, watching while he hands his camera to the woman beside him and moves closer to the models.
I cringe when he reaches out to cup the cheek of the young woman closest to him, locking eyes with her while he speaks to her. She can’t be a day over seventeen, and he has to be in at least his mid-thirties. The way he gazes into her eyes, running a thumb over her lips, has an almost predatory quality.
“That guy was with your friend?” I ask, and Kylie nods, grimacing.
“Yep. And if you think he is a douche, you’re on the right path. But he is actually a giant asshole.” She moves closer to the photo shoot again.
I grab her hand to stop her. “What are you doing?”
She looks down at my hand, and I let go, not wanting to overstep, even though she appears to be on a warpath.
“I just want to say hi.”
I stay where I am, watching as she makes a beeline for him.
“Hey, Richard.” Although the area is crowded, I can hear her voice carry over all the other sounds around me.
He turns around, his eyebrows pinched together while he scans the crowd. His eyes narrow when he sees Kylie, though I can’t tell if he recognises her or not.
“You probably don’t remember me. I’m Kylie, a friend of Bri’s.” Her tone seems friendly, but Richard’s face noticeably drops when she says her friend’s name.
“Right…” he replies, stretching the word out while watching her warily.
I decide to move closer, not sure where this exchange is going .
Just as I reach her side, she lifts her arm and pours the entire bottle of Coke over his head. He gasps but doesn’t move, and I’m pretty sure he’s too stunned to process what is happening while the dark liquid flows down onto his white linen shirt.
Much like me.
After a few seconds, he finally comes to his senses and steps towards her, his eyes flashing with anger. “What the fuck?” he yells, raising his hand.
Oh, hell no.
I step between them and place a hand on his chest. “Nope, gonna stop you right there, buddy.”
“Are you fucking serious? She just poured her drink all over me!” He turns his rage on me.
I shrug, not even slightly intimidated by him. “From what I hear, you kind of deserved a punch in the face, so I guess you should be grateful she just poured a drink on your head.”
I’m at least a foot taller than him, and he glares up at me, blinking through the sticky liquid that drips from his eyebrows. For some reason, he reminds me of a small dog who believes he’s larger than he actually is.
Kylie laughs behind me, and Richard opens and closes his mouth, his face growing redder. I’m surprised that steam hasn’t started pouring out of his ears at this point.
Over his shoulder, I notice a security guard moving towards us. I turn back to Kylie, who is grinning at Richard, looking like an evil mastermind.
“Come on, Kylie. Let’s go before we end up in an Italian police cell and Linc has to come bail us out.”
“But you know how much he’d love that. It would make his night.” She pouts at me but doesn’t protest when I take her hand and lead her at a brisk pace through the crowd.
She overtakes me, breaking into a run and racing ahead. I follow her around the corner, finding her leaning against the wall, laughing so hard she is crying. Although I’m having trouble processing what just happened, seeing her so full of joy makes my heart race, and before I have a chance to think about it, I reach out to cup her cheek.
She stops laughing and looks at me, her eyes wide. Her breath hitches, and her gaze drops to my lips.
“You are quite possibly the craziest woman I have ever met. And I’d really like to kiss you now,” I say, moving closer.
She nods slowly, lifting her gaze to mine again. “Okay,” she says, sounding breathless.
With nothing holding me back now, I lower my lips to hers. Her arms come around my neck, and I feel her lift onto her tiptoes to get closer. Pulling her flush against my chest, she lets out a little moan before deepening the kiss, her hands tangling in my hair.
It’s the perfect first kiss, the kind you want to bottle up and keep close forever. I have no idea how long we stay like that, but once we finally pull apart, we are both flushed and out of breath.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for days,” I confess.
She smiles at me, her fingers still in my hair. “I’ve been wanting you to do that for days.”
“Yeah?” I stroke her cheek with my thumb, and she nods.
“Yeah. I’m really glad my being insane finally gave you the courage to do it,” she says with a little laugh.
“So you’d be cool if I did it again, then?”
She smiles and whispers, “I’d really, really like that.”
I bend to kiss her again, my lips softly brushing hers.
“Hey!” We both twist our heads to see the security guard from earlier barrelling around the corner.
Kylie grabs my hand and starts running. “But maybe let’s not get arrested first!”
We peel out of there and soon get lost in the streets of Rome, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be with in this moment.