The Way to Game the Walk of Shame(81)

He took off his shirt and tossed it at me. “Jeez, not only are you really chatty, but you’re a loud drunk, too.”

“I told you, I’m not drunk. I’m just happy.” My eyes squinted, and I tried to focus on the half-naked guy in front of me. But he kept fading in and out of focus, like he was a mirage. Was any of this real? Maybe this whole night wasn’t real. I reached out and poked the left side of his chest and then the right. Hmm, nice and firm.

He glanced down at my hands still on his bare chest. “If you wanted to feel me up, you should have just asked.”

“Don’t be cocky. No one wants to feel you up. I’m just making sure this isn’t a dream.” Backing up, I stumbled on some clothes on the ground. My legs wobbled, and I couldn’t move. My feet were stuck! What kind of magic was this? I lunged forward and would have landed smack on the carpet if Evan hadn’t grabbed me.

To my surprise, he didn’t let go. His hands drifted down from my shoulders to tug on my hands. “Sit down before you hurt yourself.”

I giggled and flopped down at the foot of the bed. “Yes, Daddy.”

He snorted with laughter. “You don’t know how dirty that sounds.”

“I do. Why do you think I said it?” I kicked my feet out and wiggled my toes. “I usually never get to say what I’m really thinking, though. It’ll ruin my reputation.”

“What will?”

“When people find out that I’m not perfect and proper. I’m snarky and sarcastic and rude. I’m a horrible person. A real closet witch.” I waved both arms in the air like I was confessing all my secrets to the world, and I accidentally smacked his cheek. It just felt so free to finally say what I wanted. Even if it was just to Evan. I tapped the side of my head with my index finger and gave him a cheeky grin. “And inappropriate dirty thoughts pop in and out of here. But I can’t admit to any of it. No, I can’t.”

“Uh.” He gave me an intimate look and leaned in closer to me. “So, your inappropriate dirty thoughts. Are they about me?”

“Don’t you want to know?”

Evan laughed. “You’re right. I do. Way too much.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Why don’t you just rest a bit?”

I wanted to argue, but my head suddenly felt heavy. Very, very heavy. I did need to rest. So tired. I climbed onto the bed and snuggled against the cool, fresh pillow. My hand smacked the pillow beside me. “Come. Lie down.”

When he finally did, I scooted forward and lay against his bare shoulder. Hmmm. Despite all his muscles, it was soft and squishy like cotton candy. God, I would kill to have some cotton candy right now. Sweet and fluffy and melts in your mouth. I only eat the pink cotton candy. The blue would dye my lips.

That’s stupid, though. Why? WHY? Nobody’s going to judge me if my mouth is a little blue. Nobody would care. Except me. But I couldn’t force myself to change. I can’t.

“Why can’t I?” I raised my head and stared up at Evan, our faces only inches away from each other. I never noticed he had a faint smear of freckles on his nose. They practically blended in with his dark tan. I didn’t know if they were natural or from the hours he spent in the sun.

Evan swallowed and pulled back an inch. “Now what are you talking about?”

“What I want to do right now.”

His voice got husky, and his eyes flickered down to my lips. “Well, what do you want to do?”

“Eat cotton candy. Blue cotton candy.”

He blinked at me in shock. That was definitely not the answer he was expecting. Evan bit his lip and turned his face away. But by the way his shoulders were shaking, I knew he was laughing at me.

I didn’t care. Well, I did a little, but not that much.

Evan wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pushed my head down, and rested his chin against the top of my head. “I’ll get you some cotton candy tomorrow. Let’s just sleep for now.”

Something was weird and wrong about this. But it took too much energy to focus on anything, so I gave up. Hopefully it wasn’t anything important. Nothing was important now.

I closed my eyes and leaned against his chest, cushioning my head in the nook beneath his chin. I was safe and warm. And this felt perfect. Nothing else mattered.





ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First I want to give a special thanks to you, the reader. You read my book all the way to the end! Or, at least, I hope you read it instead of just skipping to the end. Not that there’s anything wrong with reading it that way. ? You’re the reason I write and why I’ll continue to write. I love you!

My deepest appreciation goes to my publisher, Jean Feiwel, for giving The Way to Game the Walk of Shame the chance to be published. I really don’t know what would have happened to my book if I hadn’t submitted it to Swoon Reads, but I do know that it could not be in better hands anywhere else. Thank you for taking a chance on Evan and Taylor!

Holly, is there any way to get you nominated for the Best Editor Award? We really should look into that because you are just amazing! I didn’t really know what to expect working with an editor, but you exceeded any expectation I could ever have. Your comments and insight are incredible and spot on. I consider myself so lucky to be able to work with you.

A huge thanks to Lauren, Emily, Rich, KB, and everyone on the Swoon Reads team for making The Way to Game the Walk of Shame shine as brightly as it does on the inside and outside. I never could have imagined my novel could be so incredible, and it’s because of all your hard work. And a huge HUG to the whole Swoon Reads community for all their reading, rating, and reviewing.