Chapter 6
SIX
HARLEY
I’m early. Like, waaaay too early.
I’m not an eager puppy waiting for her, I’m just… surveying the surroundings, making sure there’s no danger.
Right?
Is it possible to be pussy whipped when I haven’t even had a taste yet? If someone had asked me that before I met her, the answer would have been a firm hell no. Now, I’m not so sure.
Maybe she’s a witch, and she’s used some spell on me, making her my only thought.
It’s plausible.
Really, it is.
What other explanation is there?
Clearly, there’s some spooky shit going on here behind the scenes, because this isn’t who I am. I’m not the guy who moons over a girl he’s only just met. Fuck, I’m not a guy who moons over a girl, period.
But I’m not going to try and stop it.
I’m of the mind that if something feels good in the moment, then you keep doing it until the fascination ends and becomes a distant memory.
Like when I spent an entire year eating basically nothing but tacos.
Now that I’ve had my fill—far too many for one’s lifetime—I’m done.
It’s a memory that makes bile crawl up my throat at the thought of eating another taco.
There’s no reason for me not to explore whatever is going on between us while it feels right, and when the time comes, we can both put it behind us. So, I’ll keep doing it until I’m no longer under her spell.
How long that will take… well, no fucking clue
A tap on my shoulder has me spinning around, and I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face as I take in the beauty in front of me.
She actually came.
I honestly didn’t know if she would turn up or not, but thank fucking Christ she did.
“Hey, angel,” I murmur, and she frowns.
Playing hard to get again, I see.
“No? You don’t like that one, either?” I try to sound exasperated, but I can’t help the grin tugging at my lips.
“I shouldn’t be here,” she says gently and then tilts her head to the side. “But for some reason I am. I’m spending the one day of freedom I have to be with you.”
Day of freedom? Bless her, she’s almost as dramatic as me.
A girl after my own heart, if you will.
I smirk. “You’ve got it, baby. Today, I’m in your hands… so, where are we going first?”
Savannah blushes, her hands twisting together in a nervous gesture that I find so fucking cute, and I’m lowkey delighted she didn’t correct me when calling her baby. I guess we’ve found at least one nickname she doesn’t mind. Still, she doesn’t answer my question and I take a moment to study her.
There’s still a pink tint to her cheeks as her eyes dart nervously around us, and her throat bobs as her gaze meets mine.
I hate that she seems so awkward around me, so instead of asking her another question, I take her hand and pull her towards the other end of the pier.
She doesn’t fight my hold on her, just follows willingly.
I take her to the pop-up cafe, grabbing us both a drink before I spy her eyes on one of the game stands.
“Games? Really?” I ask with a raised brow. Seeing this side of Savannah feels like a revelation, so like hell am I going to refuse her.
“It’s cute,” she says and points towards a stuffed butterfly hanging from a beam, blushing profusely.
I cackle. “Whatever you want, baby. Whatever you want.”
Okay, so I’m a competitive fucker, and clearly these games are rigged because it took me sixteen tries to toss the stupid ass hoops onto the dumbass bottles, but I did it eventually.
Savannah tried telling me it was okay to give up after my second try, but clearly, she doesn’t know me very well yet if she thought I would walk away.
Especially with the sweet way she peered up at me from under her lashes as she gripped my forearm and told me she could live without it, that was cute as fuck. So, I refused to give up.
And I’m glad I didn’t, because the smile that lit up her face, as the grumpy fucker who was running the game handed her the butterfly, was worth it.
So damn worth it.
After fifteen minutes, she told me she didn’t realize how big it was, so now I’m the one holding a huge ass butterfly stuffy with a grin on my face, because why the fuck not? She’s turned up, she seems happy, and we’re having a good time.
I’ll happily carry anything she wants me to. Stuffed butterfly? Yes. Handbag? Of course. Her? Hop on up, baby.
“Ferris wheel?” I ask and give her my best puppy dog eyes that work on literally every person I meet.
“I....” She trails off, hesitating. “I don’t think so.”
“You don’t like Ferris wheels?” I ask, affronted.
She shakes her head adamantly, her eyes wide as she starts rambling. “I’m not getting on that thing. No way. What if it flings us off the top and we land in the sea and drown?”
I look up at the Ferris wheel in question, noting how slow it’s going and how her concerns are quite literally impossible. “You realize that would never happen, right? Like, are you looking at the same thing I’m looking at?”
“We could die.”
I snort, loving this side of her. “We wouldn’t die, Sav.”
Her lips quirk. “The day I have nothing left to live for is the day I get on that thing.”
Christ, she’s ridiculous.
I love it.
We grab some pretzels and head down to the beach, where we sit next to each other on a rock and stare out at everyone enjoying their summer.
“Thank you for coming today,” I murmur and take a bite of the salty goodness.
Savannah smiles shyly, and fuck, she’s so damn adorable, I kinda wanna give her a huge squeeze.
In a hug kind of way. Not a serial killer trying to throttle her to death kind of way.
Why am I like this?
Aaaaanyway…
“I honestly wasn’t sure if I would show up.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, I wasn’t sure you would, either.”
Time seems to slow down as we stare at each other, but the moment is broken when she looks away, a blush staining her cheeks.
“I should go,” she whispers and I swallow, unable to find words and wondering what the fuck is wrong with me.
What is it about this girl that suddenly has me tongue-tied?
She stands, but I make no move to follow her.
I can’t. It’s like I’m frozen in place, unable to look away from her, and just when I think she’s about to leave without a word, she takes a step closer to me. She’s basically standing between my legs and is setting my nerve endings on fire.
“Thank you for everything.” She gets even closer and I have to tilt my head up to look at her. So close, that maybe she’s about to… grab the fucking butterfly.
Christ, I forgot about that thing.
Her eyes dart around us and she takes a deep breath, probably preparing herself to leave.
I paste on a smile, trying not to show my disappointment when she shocks the shit out of me by leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to my lips.
It’s fleeting, quick—so quick that it barely lasts a second—but goddamn perfect in the moment.
It makes me want more.
It makes me crave the feeling again, to taste her properly this time, but I know I can’t.
Savannah seems skittish, so I need to take things slow.
I’ll let her lead, and I’ll let her set the pace between us.
I’ve noticed the way she always seems to tense when people are around us, how her eyes are constantly scanning her surroundings but I put it down to her being nervous around me.
The more time I spend with her, the more she’s opening up and seeming more at ease with me.
And I want her to be completely at ease with me.
But I can wait until she feels more comfortable.
There’s no rush, after all.
We have all the time in the world to explore whatever this thing is between us, because I can’t see this ending anytime soon.
No, whatever this feeling is that she gives me, it’s here to stay.
“I’ll see you soon, Harley.”
Yes, please.