Chapter 38 Fine Times Two
Fine Times Two
Ryder
As the couple above us continued to bicker, I expected Tessa to tease me for whispering. Instead, she surprised me with a soft smile. "Awww…that's so sweet."
I frowned. "Sweet?" What the hell? I'd been called a lot of things in my life, but never that.
I wasn't sure I liked it.
But I did like the way her eyes had gone all soft and warm, like someone had turned down the volume on her defenses.
Still, I wasn't going to lie. "Nope."
She moved closer. "What do you mean, nope?" Her gaze drifted to my lips, making something tighten in my chest.
I said it again, this time with more gusto. "Nope."
Her forehead creased. "But you already said that."
"Yeah, call it a double." What I didn't say was that the second nope was meant for myself – a good reminder that just a few hours ago, she'd been acting like I was the disease instead of the cure.
But not now.
Now, her lips were parted, and there was a barely-there tilt of her chin that looked a lot like an invitation.
Three floors up, ZZ and his companion were still going back and forth, but the tone had changed – now half bickering, half laughing – like they were sparring for fun and had forgotten us entirely.
Normally, I'd say this was a good thing. But now?
Now, it was too damned convenient, making it feel like Tessa and I were all alone even though nothing could've been further from the truth.
Her lips looked dangerously kissable, but there was no way I'd be going in. Sure, I could spot an invitation when I saw one, but for all I knew, she wasn't aware she was giving it.
A smarter man would back up and turn away, head up to the hotel room and make for the whiskey. Of course, that man would never solve the mystery of whether her lips tasted as good as they looked.
She searched my face. "You're thinking something."
I was always thinking something. "Damn straight I am."
Her voice was soft in the night. "So…is it a good thought? Or a bad thought?"
I almost laughed. "Both." No lie. The thoughts going through my head weren't exactly decent, but that didn't mean I was stupid.
She cocked her head. "But how can it be both?"
Truth time. "I'm not gonna kiss you."
She sucked in a startled breath. "Fine. I mean…it's not like I wanted you to."
She was lying. Whether to me or to herself, I had no idea, so I answered with a shrug she could take either way.
"I didn't," she insisted. "I mean…I don't."
I snorted. "Liar."
"Oh, please," she said. "Just because you're Ryder Freaking Vaughn—" But then, her lips clamped shut, and she looked away.
My eyes narrowed. "So you know my name." This, by itself, wasn't a surprise. But her reaction to it? Yeah, that was suspicious as hell.
She gave a shaky laugh. "You introduced yourself. In the souvenir shop, remember?"
"Yeah. But I only gave you the first, not the last."
If Tessa had been thinking, she would've claimed she'd gotten my full name from Franny or some other local. Hell, even blaming Shark Dude would've made more sense.
That, I might've believed. Instead, that claim of hers was leaking like a cracked canoe. But why lie at all?
The silence hung heavy between us until she said with a shrug, "Yeah, well…so what?"
"So what?" I scoffed. "That's your defense?"
She gave me a look. "I didn't know it was a trial."
"And I didn't know you were this bad at lying."
"You do realize that's not exactly an insult, don't you?" Her chin lifted. "I mean…let's say I am bad at lying. Isn't that a good thing?"
I moved closer to quietly say, "Not if you're lying to yourself, which you definitely are."
"And what makes you say that?"
"Because you wanted me to kiss you."
She gave a tight little laugh. "What?"
I grinned. "I bet you didn't even know it."
"Oh, and you do?"
"Hell yeah."
She gave another jerk of her chin. "Hah! Well maybe I know something you don't."
"And what's that?"
"It wasn't only me."
"Meaning?"
"You wanted me to kiss you." She leaned in. "What do you have to say to that?"
On instinct, I moved forward just a fraction. "Well, I'm not gonna deny it, if that's what you think."
Her gaze dipped to my mouth before rising again. "Fine."
Under the full moon, her eyes were so bright it would've hurt to look away. I didn't even try. Instead, I said it, too. "Fine."
But Tessa was right.
I wanted to kiss her.
She wanted to kiss me.
The only question was, which one of us would give in first?