Page 22 of Never You

“What?”

“It’s five days.”

“Fuck me,” he grunts, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I would love to, but I’m not in the mood right now,” I sass, throwing his words back in his face.

He smiles like a damn Cheshire cat, and I swear I can see a little approval in his eyes.

“Cute.”

He holds my gaze, staring at me with an intensity that grows by the second. A tension that’s different from the frustration we are used to fills the space between us, so I avert my gaze to snap out of it, convincing myself I’m imagining things.

If he smiles like that the entire trip, I’m in serious trouble. His smile is contagious. I want to stay mad at him, but unwillingly, the corner of my mouth curls up.

Oh, what the hell.

“Don’t make me regret this,” I try to scold.

Obviously, I fail miserably.

“Never.” He winks, beaming, making me roll my eyes.

“Dear Lord, give me the strength to not kill this boy in the next week,” I mumble while I drop my head back to the wheel, gently bumping it a few times, even though I know any prayer will be futile.

He’s totally going to make me regret this.

***

Two hours of awkward silence later, we have just passedBarstow, and Jensen seems to be sleeping like a log. It isn’t until he starts snoring softly that I turn around to Bodi, wondering if he really is asleep or if he’s just faking it.

“This isn’t for real, right? No way anyone can sleep this deep in a car.” I glance to the backseat.

Bodi’s still on his phone and I’m seriously curious as to what he has been doing for the last two hours.

“Nope,′ he says, popping hisP. “It is.”

“Really?′ I wave my hand in front of Jensen’s face, trying to detect any awareness.

His face doesn’t change an inch, so I test it one more time by tapping his nose like a child, expecting him to snap at me but giggling inside.

When nothing happens, I slightly shake my head in disbelief.

I register the sound of Bodi’s iPhone locking, followed by the unbuckling of his seatbelt, moving himself to the middle seat before popping his head into the front of the car beside mine.

“It’s because he drank a lot and slept a little. Pour some alcohol in the bastard and he’s knocked the fuck out. The only reason he was up this morning is because I woke him.”

He smells clean with a hint of coco wax that is keeping his small brown crest of waves perfectly styled. He is truly handsome, with his perfect mix of a desirable body and kind eyes, looking completely different from his rugged best friend. Not my type, but add his Aussie accent in the mix, and I can only assume he does well with the ladies.

I move my eyes back to the road while I try to suppress a yawn.

“You didn’t sleep much either?′ he asks.

“It’s hard to sleep when your dipshit ex-boyfriend keeps calling you the entire night.′

“Yeah, thanks for the show, by the way. The fucker deserved it.” He sniggers, reaching in front of me to grab the bag ofgummy bears that lay in the cupholder before popping one in his mouth.

“That wasn’t supposed to happen. None of it was supposed to happen,” I clarify, though a proud grin seeps through.

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