Page 66 of I Knew You Were Trouble

Her eyes widen, and her neck jerks the tiniest bit.

I give her a lopsided grin. “I’d also date you if you didn’t.”

She shakes her head, and that freckle appears in her smile as she drops her eyes to the beer. “That doesn’t help.”

I huff out a breath. There are so many things I want to say out loud that I just can’t get my voice to generate. The sound of jeans on marble echoes off the walls as I slide down to my feet. My elbow knocks against her in our typical fashion.

“You want my opinion?” I have to make sure she wants it. I won’t make the decision for her.

“You’re my teacher.” She elbows me back. “Tell me the answer.”

“You’ve spent the past month doing things you wouldn’t normally do.”

“So I should drink?”

“Let me finish.”

“So I shouldn’t drink?”

“Candace…”

“Right, sorry.” She shakes her head, her curls bouncing around her face. She makes a zipper out of her lips and closes it.

“I don’t know for sure, but from my perspective, every time you tackled something, it was on your terms.”

Her face contorts in the cutest look of skepticism, and I hold back a laugh so I don’t lose sight of my point.

“You killed that spider. You shot me with that paintball. You asked me to get on Gertrude. I may have given you a guideline, but I wasn’t the one running the show.”

I glance at the beer, the condensation growing on the counter. “You’re already badass, Candace. If you’re not ready to drink, then don’t.”

The air shifts in the room, and I think she’s just as surprised as I am by it. Her head tilts slightly, her eyes growing into Disney princess-like circles. Her tense stance loosens, and she takes the one step between us and throws her arms around my shoulders.

“Thank you,” she says, her breath cascading over my neck. My arms circle her waist, and a rush of heat runs wild through my veins.

The hug is way too brief for my liking, but the moment she lowers off her tiptoes I release her. I gotta get out of this bathroom and back to where people are. Buffers sound like a good idea right now.

She straightens her shoulders and grins, pushing the beer away from her. “Okay,” she says, “time to go be a complete bad-A-word and get my midnight kiss.”

I chuckle at her censorship and let her pass me. A dark cloud descends over my head the closer we get to Zach, but her determination is cute. And I think I’m still a little high off that unexpected hug.

I spot him right away, hanging out with a couple of Candace’s classmates—I assume, anyway. She’s still searching, peering over heads, her hair whipping around. I should be the good guy and point him out, but I let her play Where’s Waldo for a few seconds first.

“Thirty seconds!” I hear someone shout, and cheers erupt in the room. Someone passes me a glass of champagne, and I take it and lean down to Candace.

“He’s by the fireplace.” I nudge her forward, even if it pains me to do it, and give her an encouraging grin—at least I hope it comes off that way.

She throws me a nervous smile and then bounces toward Zach. She went for a dress tonight—light and sparkling, not unlike the champagne in my glass. It seems more her style, even with her legs poking out.

“Ten, nine…”

I rest my back on the wall, my arm hanging down my side, the flute still in my hand. Candace sidles up to Zach, in perfect position, her smile lighting the entire room. He grins back and leans down, whispering something in her ear that makes her blush.

I almost lose the grip on my champagne glass.

“…six, five…”

This is what she’s been working toward. All the time we spent together, the holey outfits, the ride on Gertrude… All for him. He better damn well appreciate everything she did for him. Not that she’ll ever say a thing.

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