Page 85 of The Beginning and End of Everything
"Don't say I don't do romantic stuff for you.” I lead her into the small ticket building and hand the guy behind the desk a piece of paper.
He glances over it and smiles wide. “Mr. West, follow me."
"Mr. West. So…” She suspiciously arches her brow at me. “Now you're Finn?"
"If the credit card fits."
The guy lifts a little rope that I think is supposed to make this look a bit VIP. We wait a moment as pods pass us one at a time. An empty pod pulls up, and he opens the door, sweeping his arm to the side. "All yours."
We step inside, and Poppy's eyes dart to the ice bucket and box of chocolates resting on the wooden bench in the center.
"Okay, now I know you must be ill.”
I shrug. "You like this kind of shit."
"Well, aren't you romantic,Mr. West?"
"I'll be sure to pass that on to Finn." The pod starts to move, cruising at a snail’s pace. I kind of wish the thing would pick up some g-force. It would make it more interesting.
She lifts the bottle of champagne from the ice and reads the label. "Going overboard a bit?" she says under her breath. The top comes out with a pop, and instead of pouring it into a glass, Poppy shrugs and drinks straight from the bottle.
"You always were a classy chick."
She eyes me. "Says the pikey because he knows what class is?"
"Hey, my ma had scatter cushions in that caravan. That's like a luxury, I'll have you know. The dog that was chained to it had a proper collar and everything. No bailing twine for Sean."
"I did love that dog." She laughs. "And I think your dog was the only one who actually had a name. If that's not high-class pikey, I don't know what is."
"Yeah, Ma loved Sean Connery." I grin.
She smiles. "This was sweet of you." She pushes up on her tiptoes to give me a kiss. A short kiss—after I just dropped over three hundred quid on this pod—and then she walks over to the glass, looking out over the dirty city as the sun drops behind the horizon.
I'm not one for a view, but then again, I could push her up against that glass and make this date really memorable. I place my hands on her hips, pulling her back against me. When I brush my lips over her neck, she tilts her head to the side. And I smile against her skin. My hand slips beneath the material of her top.
And then, she yanks away from me. "Really? This thing is nothing but windows."
"You just look so pretty standing there in the sunset." I smirk. "You'd look better naked though…"
"No." She draws away from me, and I step after her. "Brandon," she warns.
She backs up to the glass, and I cage her in, pressing my hands on either side of her head. "Possum," I breathe against her lips, waiting.
“You’re an asshole."
"I'm just standing here, poss."
Her chin tips up a fraction, and she presses her lips against mine. I lift her onto the handrail that runs around the pod and step between her thighs.
She kisses me. "God, I hate you.”
"Nah, babe. You love me. I mean, I did get you champagne."
"I love you, but I still hate you."
"Oh, you're mean today." I kiss her again, and she moans into my mouth.
"I want you," she whispers. "That's why I hate you."
