Page 36 of Composed
“Stop! Stop!” she gasps, breathless and laughing.
I grin, enjoying every second as tears sparkle in her eyes.
“Okay, okay! You win, you win!” She pushes at my chest. “Give over!”
I finally relent, pulling back, when my door swings open.
“Cole Dean Hayes.”
I freeze, straddling Hendrix as my mum strolls into the room.
Hendrix’s cheeks flare, a deep crimson staining them. She swats me away, her breaths choppy as she sits up and straightens her clothes.
“What did I tell you about this bedroom door?” Mum asks, hands propped on her hips, gaze slanting over Hendrix and me.
“Mum.” Heat crawls up the back of my neck.
“Cole,” she deadpans.
“Sorry!” I shuffle across the bed. “Won’t happen again.”
“Best not.” Mum turns to Hendrix, her scowl lifting into a crooked grin. “Hi, Hendrix. Make sure this bugger behaves, will you?”
“Will do,” Hendrix croaks.
I jump up. “Okay, Mum. That’s enough now. Thanks for stopping by.”
I nudge her out the room and tug my door until there’s only a crack left.
Technically it’s not shut, so she can’t say shit.
Pressing my back to the wall, I scrub a hand down my face and groan.
Hendrix slaps a hand over her mouth, muffling the choked laughter that racks her body.
“You know that’s entirely your fault,” I tell her, moving back to the safety of my swivel chair.
She shoots up to her feet. “You attacked me!”
“You made me.” I fold my arms across my chest, lips curving in a smug grin. “You just had to say, ‘Yes, Cole Hayes. You’re my boyfriend,’ and all of this mess could have been avoided.”
Her eyes narrow to slits. “Cole.”
“Yes, Rixie?”
“You’re a menace.”
“Not where I thought that was going.” I sink into my chair and tip back the wheels. “Shall we try again?”
“I will end you.” She clicks her fingers before dragging her thumb across her neck.
I shake my head. “No you won’t. You’d miss me too much.”
“Whatever I did, I’m sorry,” she shouts to the ceiling. “I take all the bad things back.”
“You’re feisty when you’re embarrassed. I like it.”
She drags her hands through her hair. “I can’t believe your mum just walked in on that. What must she think of me?”
