Page 83 of Suits and Spark Plugs

“I’ll try, but it’s not every day that a guy kisses me like that and then asks me to be his buddy. It’s kind of unforgettable.”

He laughed and pulled a face. “I was being a total idiot.”

“Agreed.”

He let go of my hand and slowly pulled me close to him, tucking my head under his chin and my ear against his chest. His voice vibrated against me as he spoke. “Liv, will you go on dates with me, let me kiss you, do strange things that I never expect, argue with me, and load up my hot cocoa with disgusting marshmallows?”

A smile filled my face. “What’s the magic word?”

He squeezed me tight against him and dropped a kiss on my curls. “Please?”

“Okay.”

“As easy as that?”

“As easy as that. And, seeing as you asked so nicely, I’ll throw in a little bonus for you. I promise to ask before I jump in to rescue you from bad guys.”

“Hmm. Actually, if you don’t mind, I’ve always wanted my own personal superhero.”

“Tire Iron Girl, weapons wizard, at your service.”

“Man, the other guys are going to be so jealous.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-two

Something inside of me shifted with the knowledge that Connor wanted to be with me. At first it was subtle: an easier time waking up, lighter steps around the diner, a smile that I couldn’t contain.

I’d blushed hard when he’d walked into the diner for his breakfast the day after we’d decided to date. It didn’t matter that I’d known he was coming, or that I’d seen him a million other times, or that I’d stayed up all night telling myself to get a grip. When I saw his half smile and the way his eyes crinkled as he caught sight of me, I’d felt the heat climb. It had been such a total head to toe reaction that I’d stood like a statue, holding a coffee pot and watching as he’d bypassed the hostess station and come straight to me. He’d stopped so close I was surprised our toes didn’t touch. I’d tilted my head back to look at him, and his eyes had raked over my face.

“Morning, Livy,” he’d said in a voice only the two of us could hear, and I swear it was the most butterfly-inducing moment of my life to date.

I’d done nothing more than nod. He’d leaned down and pressed a light kiss to my forehead, one hand coming up to tuck a stray curl behind my ear, making my eyes close as chills raced down my spine. He’d smelled fresh and his lips had been so soft.

“Hey,” I’d breathed out, opening my eyes.

“I’ll just find a seat, then?” His light honey brown eyes had been amused as he’d pulled away.

The diner had gone dead still, and I knew without looking that every eye in the place was on the Phelps girl and the Hunter boy. I knew many of them were shocked, wondering how this had taken place and how they hadn’t noticed. I assumed several of the older women were thinking about how to tell my mother. The men, however, would be joking about it to Connor for weeks.

“I’m working the back booths today,” I’d replied. “I think everyone’s looking at us.” I’d dared to glance around.

“Probably.”

Without another word he’d slid around me and taken a seat in an open booth on the edge of my section. I hadn’t been able to help watching him all but strut across the floor. Knowing he was doing it to make me laugh had been enough to unfreeze me from the spot.

However, I’d been flustered and hot all over the entire time he was there, as though I’d shifted back to a fourteen-year-old girl seeing him across the cafeteria for the first time. I couldn’t get a handle on myself, and by the time he’d left the diner I’d been tempted to go stuff napkins in my armpits. It had been humiliating. I’d never fallen apart that way over a guy, and I wondered how I could feel so completely different than I’d ever felt before.

“It’s because this is the real thing,” Kelly had said when I mentioned it to her over the phone a couple of days later.

I’d leaned back against my pillowed headboard and looked across the room to see the stars shining through my window. “It takes time and shared experiences to know if it’s real or not. Besides, I’ve liked someone before.”

“Yes, you have crushed on someone before, but this is different.”

“I don’t know how. The same basic hormones are involved.”

Kelly was thoughtful for a moment, and I’d waited, curious to hear her thoughts. “Maybe it’s just that your soul...”

“Nope,” I’d cut her off with a laugh. “I thought you were going to have something scientific to tell me and it was going to make sense and be interesting.”

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