Page 7 of Revenge Cake

“More for us,” Lani says, stepping closer to the cake. She takes the serving knife and cuts into the white frosting, bending slightly at her hips. My eyes run up and down her body. She’s thin and muscular, but not without curves. Her hips flair gently and her legs are shapely. She moves gracefully, like a dancer, even while doing something as unathletic as slicing a cake.

She turns around with a slice of cake and a fork on a small plate in her hand. She approaches me slowly with that unblinking gaze, and I wish I could ask her to feed me. “Don’t take a bite yet,” she says as she hands me the plate. “I want to watch you eat it.”

Giggles erupt around the room, and I fight the urge to drop my jaw. I want to watch you. Her words make me hot everywhere. Nothing about her serious tone would suggest that she was trying to arouse or fluster me, but she could not have been more successful had she knelt in front of me and unzipped my pants. I can’t help but wonder what else she might want to watch me do.

After handing out slices of cake to everyone else in the room, Lani walks back over to me. “Okay,” she says. “You can eat. And you don’t need to tell me if you like it or not, because I’ll see it in your eyes.”

I smile. “Is that why you want to watch me?”

“Yes.” Her eyes roam my face. Heat fills my belly as her eyes fix on mine. I take a forkful of the cake and slowly lift it to my mouth, enjoying her gaze now on my lips. After I finish chewing and swallowing, she smiles. “You like it.”

“It’s delicious,” I say, though I’m not really sure. I barely paid attention to the cake. All I can think about is her. It makes me impatient. “Let’s hang out tomorrow. Let’s go see Deadpool 2.” When she continues to stare at me blankly, I add, “With Armaan and Brenna.” A double date. She can’t be opposed to that.

Her body language shifts. She seems more remote and aloof than she has all night. A slight notch forms between her brows. She looks away from me, seeming lost in thought. “I’ve never seen the first Deadpool,” she says quietly.

“Well, we need to correct that because it’s amazing. I’ve actually heard Deadpool 2 isn’t that great, but I’m a Marvel completist, so I have to see it. We should watch the first one together before going to the theater.”

I realize my mistake when she lifts her eyes and I see the surprise behind them. I’m too forward for her comfort. For all her candor, she’s reserved. Slow to warm up.

“I don’t like Marvel movies.”

Changing tactics, I wince. “That hurts. Did I really need that after everything? After you told me I’m weak and an embarrassment to myself?”

Though she tries to smile, she looks unsure of herself for the first time. “I’m sorry I said all of that. Mia was right. I say rude things without thinking sometimes.”

“Oh, I wasn’t asking for an apology. I was actually thinking about asking you to marry me.”

I feel like howling in victory when she gives me a small smile, lifting her hand to tuck a strand of dark hair behind her ear. The nervous gesture makes her seem human for the first time. Shy and wanting my approval. Suddenly less intimidating. “I mean I know it’s kind of sudden since I just got out of a toxic relationship, and I literally just met you an hour ago, but I don’t know… It seems right. What do you say?”

Abruptly her smile fades, her large brown eyes narrowing. “If I say ‘no,’ will you need me to come over tonight and hold you in bed while you cry?”

My lips part into an open-mouth smile. “I think rude is an understatement. You’re vicious!”

***

“I’m going to need your help with Leilani,” I tell Armaan on our drive home later that night. “I scared her off tonight.”

“Finally!” he shouts, lifting one hand from the steering wheel. “Every girl you meet should be scared of you.”

“Probably,” I say. “But this is much more intense than usual, and I got way ahead of myself. I asked her to hang out tomorrow, and it freaked her out.”

“So she shot you down. Good for her.”

“I know. She’s incredible. The way she talks… The way she commands your attention… She’s like, ‘I’ve got shit to say, and you’re going to listen! Sit your ass down while I tell you what a worthless piece of shit you are.’” I shake my head, in a daze. “She’s amazing.”

“You have serious problems.”

His gaze on the road, he can’t see when I roll my eyes. He’ll never admit it but he likes the same thing. We’re both just a couple of chill guys who enjoy it when a woman bosses us around. I just happen to be more open about it. I don’t see anything wrong with it.

When we get to a stop sign, he turns to me. “You could have had Mia!”

“No way. She’s every bit as boring as she is hot. She’s your type. You should go after her.”

He shakes his head dejectedly. “I already ruined my chances.”

“Speaking of the ruiner-of-your-chances,” I say, annoyed that he continues to downplay his infatuation with Brenna, “do you think Brenna likes me enough to help me out with Leilani?”

“I don’t know, and I really don’t want to ask. Do you think you could just chill out for once and let things happen naturally?”

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