When I stuck my earbuds in, browsing my playlists, she huffed loudly and pulled some fashion magazines from her backpack, slamming them on her lap. I bit back my laughter. She was wearing down quick. Instead of putting on some screaming rock to fit my mood, I put on some chill music, quiet enough that I’d be able to hear her if she chose to speak to me. With my eyes closed, I settled in, listening to the music accompanied by the sound of her magazine pages turning. After about an hour, they started flipping in a quicker fashion, like she was frustrated with them. She would sigh and huff, then turn the page, sigh, huff, page turn, sigh, huff, page turn. It was driving me mad.
My resolve broke on an especially sad sigh. I pulled the earbuds out and looked at her, but she wasn’t looking at me. Her hands were gripping the magazine in her lap so tight that the pages were wrinkled while she stared at them with such forlorn sadness, my chest cracked wide open. Did she think she wasn’t as pretty as the woman on the cover? Was she upset about what having a baby might do to her body? I couldn’t even gander a guess as to what she was thinking, but I’d do anything to keep that look from her face, even if it meant pushing her buttons a little.
“It’s pretty vexing, isn’t it?” I murmured, but she whipped her head in my direction as if I’d shouted, her long braid almost smacking me in the face. But I didn’t flinch because the anger that flashed through those golden eyes was far better than the turmoil from a moment ago.
“Vexing? What are you, ninety?” That made me smirk, which caused her to sigh and give in. “Is what vexing, Kai?” she drawled. My name on her perfectly kissable lips turned my insides to molten lava.
I snickered. She balled her fist as if to keep from smacking me. I would have gladly accepted any physical contact from her. “Isn’t it vexing having someone you know has feelings for you act like you don’t exist?”
A growl ripped from her throat like she was some kind of ferocious lioness. It did things to me that weren’t appropriate for this tight can filled with people. “You’ve been trying to teach me a lesson?”
The fury in her eyes—my mission of turning her thoughts to something other than those magazines a success—pushed me on. “Not teaching you a lesson. I was showing you how irritating and hurtful it is to have someone do that.” That was only part truth. Enough truth to piss her off, though.
She looked like she might growl again. I hoped and prayed she wouldn’t, simply so I wouldn’t have to excuse myself to the tight space they called a bathroom. “I wasn’t a dick to you about it, but you’re totally being one.”
That made me snort. She was kidding herself thinking she wasn’t being a dick. “You may not call it that, but that’s exactly what it is, honey.” With that, I stuck my earbuds back in, looking straight forward again. If I kept going, I’d force myself on her, take the kiss I wanted so desperately, and it would end badly.
Before I could turn the music back on, she snarled, “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to piss off a pregnant woman?”
I wanted to laugh, but I just took a deep breath and closed my eyes, hoping for the flight to get over with so we could get out of this constricted space and I could have some breathing room to clear my head, regain my resolve.
The energy around me shimmered, making me tingle, as if someone were looking at me. She was staring at me; I could feel it. And there wasn’t an ounce of malice behind it. It was as if she were openly inspecting me in awe… at least I could hope it was awe. Whatever the reasoning behind her ogling, I could all but feel the wheels turning in that genius brain of hers.
Four songs played accompanied by that tingling sensation that she was watching me. It took all my control not to open my eyes and catch her in the act. Heat licked down my arm as her fingers trailed over it before they laced with mine. My eyes snapped open of their own accord to meet her probing gaze, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.
“You finally giving in?” I rasped, my breathing ragged. I wasn’t holding it together at all. She had given in far sooner than I’d planned; I needed to be sure, couldn’t put myself on the line again just to get shot down the next day.
Still chewing on that lip, she gave me a meek nod. “On two conditions.” Conditions? That had my eyebrows shooting up my forehead. She rolled her lips between her teeth. “Please don’t pry. There are things I won’t talk to you about.” On a deep breath, she paused. I had already surmised as much based on our previous conversations and through watching her. Although, I wasn’t sure how that set now that we were going to be together. I wanted to know things about her, wanted to hold her burdens for her. Then she added, “And I won’t marry you.”
My stomach dropped, but I schooled my expression. She’d thrown up when the topic was mentioned before. I couldn’t show her what that meant to me. Not that the thought of not marrying her destroyed me or anything, but the fact that it wasn’t ever going to
