Page 24 of Puck Shy

The sound of a throat clearing has me looking up to see the smiling face of Lucas. He’s removing a pair of sunglasses and a beanie as I put my phone away. I smile nervously back at him and take a short breath. I’ve never been this close to him in the light of day before. His beauty is…blinding. Butterflies erupt in my stomach, and Fangirl Stevie starts to have another moment. I felt this last night, too. But I was able to shake it off when we fucked. Now, it’s back in full force.

“Hey, Cherry.”

My stomach flips at the silly nickname. “Hey, MVP.”

He pulls out the chair and sits in it, leaning back casually.

“Do you want something to drink?” I ask awkwardly.

He shakes his head, still smiling. “If I have another cup of coffee, I’ll crash hard later and fall asleep on the ice.”

The corner of my lips turn up as I take another sip of my iced shaken espresso. Lucas watches me do it, shifting in his chair like I gave him a boner. The action makes me feel powerful, so I do it again but more sensual this time.

He must figure out what I’m doing because that dimple appears on his cheek as he makes eye contact with me, blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Teasing me, Cherry?”

I shrug, putting my drink down and leaning back in my chair to get more comfortable. I picked a spot in the back that has a little nook with a wall blocking us from prying eyes. It’s as private as I could get in a public space. Thankfully, it seems like he was able to keep the paparazzi from following him here. I told him this place was a little more off the beaten path—seems like it’s okay for now.

“So…” he says, tapping his long fingers on the table.

“So…” I parrot.

He exhales a breathy chuckle and leans forward so he’s closer to me. “Thanks for meeting me.”

“I told you we could talk.”

He nods. “So you’re Riley’s sister.”

I raise an eyebrow at him. “Yep, and you’re Leo’s twin.”

“I am,” he smiles cheekily. “How are you feeling after last night?”

Shrugging at his complicated question, I throw back instead, “How are you feeling after last night?”

He pops his tongue against the back of his teeth. “You’re not going to make this easy for me, are you?”

“Not sure what you mean, Hot Shot,” I tease.

He scoots his chair closer. “Are you going to deflect during this whole conversation?”

I blink at him. He noticed that I do that. For Christ’s sake, I just met the man.

But he’s right. I do like to deflect. I want to keep my feelings guarded—it’s easier not to get hurt that way. And if I were to ever date a man like Lucas, I know I’d get my feelings hurt. He was named Sexiest Man Alive! I can’t compete with that. I may be a confident badass bitch when I need to be, but I may not be when the entire world is breathing down my neck. I don’t know how Riley is dealing with being in the spotlight as it is.

“I’m not trying to deflect,” I lie.

“I see…then I’m going to get to the point. I like you, Stevie.”

I try not to let my eyes bug out of my head as I attempt to remain calm. “Okay?”

He stares at me. “That’s your answer?”

I bite the inside of my cheek. “Should I have another one?”

His shoulders deflate a bit before he says, “I mean, I was hoping you liked me, too.”

Suddenly, I feel like I’m in high school and I rejected the boy asking me to prom. Except I was never asked to prom, and now I feel like a giant ass for making him feel like shit.

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