Page 29 of Between Never and Forever
“Well,youpaid the fifty-dollar cover charge to get into thisjoke, and I didn’t see you complainin’ a half hour ago.”
I have to bite my cheeks to keep from smiling while we stare off. He can’t even argue. He knows I’m right. To further prove my point, I lower my eyes to his crotch, pucker my lips and let out a long, slow whistle.
“Alright, alright,” he says quickly, turning his body to the side, as if trying to hide from me.
“Never would have guessed you’d have such a big dick, Cooper.”
“Jesus Christ, Sav.”
His ears turn pink, and I smirk, waltzing up to him slowly.
“Oh, the Lord’s name in vain, too? Well hung and a sinner to boot. Just my type.”
I lean my hip on the table next to him and look down through my lashes. He meets my gaze, then scans my face with his big brown eyes. His nostrils flare, and I can tell he’s trying not to smile.
“Still a brat,” he says finally, and I let my grin slip.
“Still a weenie.”
His lips twitch into a smirk that makes my pulse speed up.
“A sizable one, at that,” he adds in a low cocky voice that has my mouth dropping open with a laugh.
Nowmyears are turning pink, I can tell from how much they’re burning, and all I can do is shake my head. Un-freaking-believable. I stick out my foot and nudge his shoe with mine.
“Whatcha doin’ here, anyway?”
He stretches his legs out wide, bracketing me between them, and slides his body lower in the metal folding chair so he’s peering up at me. He sets the ice pack on the table, letting me get a good view of the bruise that’s formed on his cheek, and my fingers itch to reach out and touch it. To smooth away the hurt. His face is farther away from mine now than it was moments before, but something about this position feelscloser.
“It’s my first spring break. Miami won the coin toss. Luck.”
Luck? Hmm.
“Where are you going to school?”
“UNC.”
There’s no hiding the pride in his voice, and though I’m impressed, I’m not surprised. Well, not surprised that he got into UNC, anyway. He was a straight A student. Did all the extra credit, too. A little surprised he didn’t end up at one of the Christian colleges, though. I squint at him playfully.
“Southern Baptist Ministry? Biblical Studies?”
He rolls his eyes. “Architectural engineering.”
That makes sense, too. He always did like building things. I used to make fun of him for his Lego sets and the doodles of buildings in his notebooks. I trace my finger along the edge of the table and let my eyes follow it.
“What are you doing later?”
I try to keep my voice neutral, act nonchalant, but I know he hears my excitement. I can tell from the way he tilts his head at me like a curious little puppy.
“We were going to hit up the beach.” I curl my lip in disgust and he laughs. “You live in Miami. You can’t tell me you don’t like the beach.”
“Too much sand. Too many critters.” I shudder. “The beach would be better if it was a pool.”
He laughs again, then tilts his outstretched leg so his knee bumps my calf.
“You got something better in mind?”
I meet his eyes and give him a troublemaking grin. The same one I’d toss him when we were kids. I shrug.
