Page 61 of Axe Backwards
Vic was shaking with silent laughter. “Is it malfunctioning?”
“I have no idea.” Though disappointment was like a heavy weight pressed against my chest, I couldn’t help but laugh along with her.
He spoke again, his words coming more quickly, the creepy phrases slurring together. “Do you want to build a snowman I like warm hugs do you want to—”
With a shudder, I snatched him up off the floor. Then I quickly and efficiently flipped him over, unzipped the pocket at his back, and pulled out the AA batteries.
As I tossed them onto the coffee table, Vic cackled. “That thing is creepy.” She slapped her thigh. “And your face.” She guffawed. “I thought you’d smash it.”
I was laughing again too. Hell yeah, I wanted to smash it. Actually, I wanted to twist Olaf’s stupid snowman head until it popped right off his body. But that was neither here nor there.
I sobered quickly, remembering what we were doing before Olaf had ruined the moment.
The spell we’d been under had passed. She was smiling and laughing and yawning now. Not biting her bottom lip and watching me with heated eyes.
It was probably for the best. I had a feeling that if I kissed Vic once more, it would only make it harder to resist doing it again. It would only lead to disappointment. Vic had been clear about her lack of interest. Not only in me, but in anyone. As her friend, I had to respect that. She was too precious to me, too important to Tess. My attraction to her was growing by the day, but I would learn to control it.
I had to.
She squinted at the toy, suspicious. “Do you think he’s done now?”
I shook my head. “Nah, he’ll rise again to annoy me. I know it.”
She gave me a weak smile, and suddenly, a thread of awkwardness wove around us.
“I should go,” she said. “Call me if you need anything.”
I nodded. Shushing the symphony of thoughts in my brain. The quiet, the focus I’d felt when touching her, was long gone. I’d have to drop and do at least one hundred pushups to turn down the volume. Running would be better, but with Tess sleeping, that wasn’t an option.
“Well, Okay.” She hesitated, giving me a forced smile. The situation had gone from hot to funny to awkward in the span of two minutes.
As she headed toward the door, my brain screamed at me to say something. To ask her to stay. To pin her up against the wall and kiss her until she couldn’t stand up straight.
Because the emotions inside me were raging. A jumbled mess of them.
Instead, I silently watched her slip her shoes on and grab her bag from the table before she stepped out into the hall and closed the door carefully behind her.
The moment the lock clicked, I collapsed on the couch and put my head in my hands.
I needed to get a hold of myself. A lifetime of impulsivity and snap decisions had done me absolutely no favors when it came to the superhuman self-control it would take to not kiss her.
The moment had been so perfect.
And also, did I just get cock-blocked by a fucking stuffed snowman?
Chapter 20
Noah
“You showed up a month ago with a surprise child, and you’ve already landed yourself a girlfriend?”
With a shake of his head, Jude scratched Ripley’s ears.
I smirked. “We’re faking.”
His eyes went wide with shock.
I hated lying, and when it came to Jude, there was no point. The twin connection meant he could read me, sometimes better than I could read myself, and I wasn’t nearly a good enough actor to fool him. The thought of even trying was exhausting, and right now, I couldn’t spare the energy. Plus, he was a vault.
