Page 104 of Myla: The Hawthornes

“I’m not complainin’,” I agreed. “Yet. Ask me in a month.”

Myla laughed.

“I’m glad you’ll get to know ’em better,” I said as she tilted her head against the seat, her eyes on mine.

“Me too,” she mumbled around her food.

“They’re gonna take up a lot of my time for a while,” I warned. For our entire relationship, Myla had me pretty much to herself. There were other friends around, and I drove out to see my siblings once every couple of months, but otherwise I was free to do whatever whenever.

“Remember who you’re talking to,” she replied dryly, waving the last of her spring roll toward the garage. “Oh, you have a family that’s all up in your shit all the time? Can’t imagine how that feels.”

“Fair enough.” I chuckled.

“You have the most beautiful smile,” she blurted, staring at my mouth.

“Look who’s talkin’.”

“No, I mean mine’sokay,” she said grudgingly. “But your teeth are like, perfect. And white.” Her eyes widened. “Do youwhitenyour teeth?”

“I don’t fuckin’ whiten my teeth,” I argued. “Stop starin’ at my mouth.”

“But they’re so pretty!”

“So are yours!”

“No, mine are crooked.”

“They are not. What the hell are you talkin’ about?”

“Yes, they are,” she insisted, pulling down her bottom lip. “See,” she muttered around her fingers. “See the bottom ones? They’re crooked.”

I stared at her slightly overlapped front teeth.

Myla let her lip go and instantly covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, my god. Do I have food in my teeth?”

I could actually see the blush spreading across her cheeks as she stared at me in horror.

“You don’t have food in your teeth.”

“You better not be lying,” she said, her hand still in front of her mouth. “Because I have to run a couple errands after this and—”

She stopped talking when I reached across and yanked her toward me, my lips brushing her hand before she dropped it.

The kiss was deep and long and tasted like Chinese food, and the only reason it ended was because I’d seriously started contemplating dragging her onto my lap—and no way in hell was I going to do that with her brothers and dad roaming around.

“What was that for?” she whispered against my mouth.

“I’ve got this thing for women with food in their teeth,” I joked.

“You said I didn’t!” She jerked away and pulled the shade down so she could check the mirror.

“I’d still kiss you if you did,” I said easily, taking another bite of my food.

“Not picky, huh?” she asked, grinning.

“Not when it comes to you, no.”

“Youhaveseen me puking,” she mused.

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