Never Sweeter (Dark Obsession #1)(55)

“Wow, okay, because for a second there…”

“Yeah, for a second I was like in love with you after five minutes of friendship.”

He laughed, while she tried not to think about how thin that sound was.

It was probably just her imagination. Or his embarrassment over this mistake.

“Right? Has it been five minutes? Because it feels like thirty seconds.”

“Well, actually it’s been around a month, but I take your point.”

“A month is still absolutely nothing.”

“No, god no. It’s a tiny amount of time.”

“And that bullet comment was totally cool enough.”

“You like the bullet thing?”

God, his tone was almost tentative.

And so full of yearning.

“I did. Like, a lot. I mean, I don’t want you to have a bullet lodged in your shoulder. But the fact that you would…that you have…that you don’t mind that much…”

“I don’t mind that much.”

“You know what? Me neither,” she said.

Then hauled him down for a proper kiss.

One that had lips and lots of tongue, and left him grinning like a buffoon.

“If I had known it would have made you look this f*cking giddy,” she said, “I would have kissed you in public waaaaay before now. Seriously, it’s weird that you’re this happy about it. Like I’m having déjà vu, only with everything the opposite of how it should be.”

“It’s not just the public thing. I was…thinking…”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” she said. “I heard it gives you wrinkles.”

“I knew you only cared because I’m so pretty. I get ugly and it’s over.”

“I will admit I do like your dewy, youthful skin.”

“So that’s all I am to you. Skin,” Tate replied.

“And ass. Oh my god, your ass. Do you have any idea what it’s like to actually be able to appreciate your ass? I used to tell myself it was like two rhinos wrestling in a sweaty sock.”

“Fuck, why did you not use that as an insult in high school? That would have devastated me,” he said.

She laughed at that. He laughed at it, too.

Though she couldn’t help noticing the emphasis he put on the word devastated.

Like he meant it, on some level. She had possessed the power to hurt him, even if she hadn’t known it.

“Well, too late now. All I got is drool and two grabby hands.”

“See this. This is what I was just grinning like a lunatic about. You realize we are actually a hundred percent dating right now? Like, we are absolutely together without eight miles of trauma standing between us and huge urges to hide everything and lots of pretending we are not mentally groping each other. This is real. You just said you want to grab my ass. I can totally tell you that I want to grab yours. I can say right out loud: I want to strip you down and kiss every inch of your hot little bod. And nobody cares.”

She nodded in the direction of three girls.

Three girls who had definitely overheard, if their reaction was anything to go by.

“I think a few people care. One of the ladies who wanted your number just fainted. Two others gave me gestures that suggest if I don’t let you do that to me I’m an enormous idiot.”

“Yeah, well they never had me create a toxic fog in their bathrooms.”

“I think they would still find you super sexy.”

“Uh-huh. I bet.”

“But not as sexy as I find you.”

His head went back at that, eyes rolling up.

“Oh, say that again.”

“I find you sexy.”

“I think I could hear that a thousand times and not ever get tired of it.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to say it a thousand more.”

“Not if I get there first.”

It was his turn to kiss her then.

So long and deep that even Chad looked a little weak at the knees at the sight.

“Come on, I got a surprise for you. Over in that spooky abandoned barn over there.”

He waved in its general direction, but she couldn’t see anything. Which was probably for the best.

“You have a surprise for me. In an abandoned barn. That is spooky.”

“Do you really have to say it like I did something crazy?”

“Well, considering I last heard that line in a film called The Eyeball Eater…”

“Nobody is going to eat your eyeballs, I promise.”

She loved that he crossed his fingers, then clumsily and obviously hid them. As though he was playing on the perception of him as a big oaf, just for her. He was secure enough with her to seem like a fool.

He knew she would laugh with him—and she did.

“You say that, yet used suspicious powers to predict I would be here.”

“I didn’t use psychic powers. Lydia told Brad and Brad told Chad and Chad told me.”

“I can’t believe I know two people whose names end in ad. Or that you value their information.”

“Hey, I value it because their information is solid. Look, here you are, coming with me to the place where they found a ton of cats with no eyes.”

She glanced down at her feet, and sure enough, they were walking in his direction, as he sauntered backward in the direction of the place.