Page 39 of The Anaconda Downstairs

And I could watch, safely, from the sidelines, with my only care being how many dates she got asked out on.

Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Kingman.

I pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. Then took a deep breath. What would she be wearing? I should havefucking thought to send her a dress like the guys in the movies. Except, no. The guys who sent dresses wanted to take said dress off later in the evening.

I would be going home alone.

“You’ve got this,” I muttered, channeling a pregame-style pep talk. “It’s just a ride to an event, a little coaching. No big deal.”

Right. Because nothing said NBD like imagining the girl you can’t stop thinking about meeting a bunch of dude bros.

I was halfway to the front door when it swung open, and I froze mid-step.

Holy motherfucking moly.

Penelope stood in the doorway, but she wasn’t the Pen I’d been coaching these past weeks. This Pen was...the one from my dreams. Her curves were hugged by an emerald-green dress that made her hair and freckles pop like fireworks, electricity, lightning. Her usually wild curls were tamed into soft waves that framed her face. Those heels were going to make me so hard I’d be busting out of my dress pants.

But it wasn’t just the clothes, or makeup, or the hair.

There was something else entirely, something new. It was in the way she held herself, chin high, shoulders back, smiling so sweetly I wanted to lick her up. This new Pen was the woman who’d finally realized how amazing she was, just the way she was.

I must’ve been staring for way longer than I realized, because she quirked an eyebrow at me. “Everett? You okay there?”

I blinked, trying to jumpstart my brain. It did not work, but I got my mouth working at least. “Uh, yeah. You look... different.”

Penelope’s face fell slightly, and I mentally kicked myself for an eighty-yard field goal that missed and hit the goalpost.

“Different good,” I added hastily. “Like, really good. Great, even. Fire.”

Now it was Pen’s turn to blink. “Fire?”

Now who was the awkward one with less than stellar speaking skills? “I mean, you always look nice. But tonight you look... like you’re ready to slay.”

Her smile could’ve lit up the entire Rocky Mountains. “Thanks. I do feel an extra boost of confidence.”

That was exactly it. She was as confident as I’d ever seen her. It was beautiful on her.

“Great. Awesome. Then let’s go show you off.” What the fuck was coming out of my mouth right now? I shut the hell up and waved her toward my car, staying one step away from her. I didn’t dare touch her because I might spontaneously combust.

The subtle scent of her cinnamony perfume, the soft sound of her heels on the pavement, the way her dress swished around her thick hips were killing me. I was a dead man walking.

Teacher. Coach. Guru.

Not lover.

I opened the passenger door for her, and she slid in with a grace I hadn’t noticed from her before. As I rounded the hood to the driver’s side, I took another deep breath. This was going to be a long fucking night.

“So,” she started, breaking my weirdly awkward silence. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

I started the engine and thanked the universe for this normal conversation. “This is your graduation, grasshopper. You’re ready to dazzle Denver’s most eligible bachelors at a speed dating event.”

Pen’s laugh filled the car, warm and genuine. “That’s one heck of a graduation test, given I have yet to even talk to a man in any coherent fashion.”

I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. “You talk to me just fine all the time, Pen.”

Our eyes met for a moment, and I felt a jolt of... something, everything. Nothing that was appropriate for a “love guru” to feel about his student.

I cleared my throat and focused on the road. For the first time in my entire adult life, I didn’t know what to say. Any charm I’d ever had fled with whatever brain cells I had and left me stiff in more ways than one. The only thing I could think to do was turn on the radio. One of Kelsey’s Christmas songs played, and Penelope softly sang along.

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