Set Me Free (A Fugitive #2)(35)

His eyes hit mine as I looked up. His expression softening with a look so pure and sweet, tears began to sting my eyes.

"Now stop being nice to me or I'm going to lose it."

Slouching back in his seat, he scowled at me. "What do you want me to do then?"

"That's better." I shifted in my seat, making sure my body was facing away from him a little. I wanted to appear like a sizzling couple that bickered a lot and the only thing holding them together was a lusty passion...one that could easily be thrown away for a better catch. "Start telling me something long-winded. Something that you think is interesting, but will bore me to death." I examined my nails before gazing around the restaurant.

Zach started talking, the edges of his mouth lifting as he began. "Okay, the day my parents left, I spent most of it in my pajamas watching Discovery Channel. I know that sounds majorly lame, but I was in a foul mood that day and Discovery Channel always make me feel better."

He tipped his head to the side. He was so cute at the moment, I wanted to kiss him senseless.

"I think it's because it's just show after show of really fascinating facts. There was one about Australia that was so interesting."

My character would be snoring right now, but I was Lucy and fully intrigued. I never really watched TV, but the idea of snuggling up on the couch with Zach and watching a show about some foreign country made my heart yearn. I forced an eye roll, running my finger over my bottom lip and trying not to look at Zach.

"Do you know that Australia has some of the largest crocodiles in the world? Some of them grow up to be 17-feet and weigh a thousand pounds." His eyebrows rose as he nodded his head. He was so impressed right now. I forced my lips to stay in a pouty frown. It was a really big effort. "But the coolest thing is the way they attack. They just lie in water, stock still as if they were dead, just below surface. They wait for their prey to get really close and when they least expect it, they just explode out of the water. It's amazing. There was all this footage, I couldn't believe it. I'll have to show you sometime."

I curbed my matching enthusiasm and flicked him a cursory glance. I kept my voice flat and my eyes downcast. "I have to say that you are so incredibly cute right now and I find your enthusiasm over facts like this a total turn on."

His eyes narrowed. "Haha."

"I know I can't show you, because of this role I'm trying to play, but believe me, if we were at your place right now and you had just said what you'd said in the same voice and tone, I'd be all over you."

I risked catching his eye to let him know I was serious and his gaze lit with a fiery spark. "Who said geeks don't rule?" He sounded smug and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop from smiling.

"Not me, that's for sure." I flung my arm over the back of my chair, shifting my body even further away from him and trying to look annoyed.

Our food arrived and we ate in silence. I wasn't actually that hungry, but forced it down. I made sure to keep throwing flirty looks at the table of guys, hating myself every time I did it.

Why the hell was I doing this again?

I had to remind myself constantly as I picked at my food. Zach kept the unhinged couple thing going pretty well, but it wasn't until he started rubbing his foot over my ankle that I knew I had to make a move. His sweet touch was going to undo me.

I caught Billy's gaze on me, his eyes were doing their own traveling this time. I met his blue-eyed stare, grateful that he hadn't taken after his father in that particular area. It gave me the confidence to think I could do this. As our eyes danced an intense tango, he rose from his seat and flicked his head towards the cashier.

Without a word to Zach, I rose from my spot with a disgruntled huff and followed my blond target.





Chapter 19





ZACH





Zach knew her huff was for show, but it still stung. He swallowed down his eggs and was just about to gulp down the rest of his coffee when she spun back to him with a pointed finger. Her whisper was harsh and guttral, enough to fool people into thinking she was livid with him.

"Don't hate me for this. Remember what I said earlier and act as though you couldn't care less that I was trying to make you jealous by flirting with another guy. Got it?"

"Whatever." Zach hated the scornful look he threw her, but the pleasure that sparked in her eyes before she spun away bolstered Zach's confidence.

Even so, seeing Lucy in this light unnerved Zach big time. He had no idea how good she was. Well, he did kind of know, but he headn't really seen it in action. The way she talked him through this scenario, putting on a show, had been pretty impressive. But now, watching her swan across the diner and stand next to Billy, her body language telling the whole place that she was into him big time, was really hard work.

He wished she didn't look so damn hot in those jeans shorts, although he had to admit they were the perfect attire for this gig. He found it fascinating that when she'd flounced down the stairs in them yesterday afternoon, she'd looked like a sweet, summer girl. A damn hot sweet, summer girl, but still, there had been an air of innocence to what she was wearing, so much so that Elliot and Alex hadn't even looked twice at her. But now that she was putting on this show, the shorts held an entirely different meaning and Zach wanted to burn them.