Page 131 of Nothing Like the Movies

I nodded, looking into his brown eyes and wondering howto feel safe with this. He was watching me, his face impossible to read as his fingers stroked along my lower back, and I said, “I can’t believe Otis lives with Michael now.”

His eyebrows lowered a little, like he was confused by my words.

Or like he didn’t like them.

He probably expected we’d talk after the kiss, because we definitely weren’t a random Batman and Batgirl at a party, no matter how badly we wanted to pretend. Random superheroes didn’t kiss likethat. Everything about the kiss had felt like coming home, like a reunion, like some kind of agreement had been reached.

That kiss had been the heroine and hero, running toward each other while the music crescendoed.

That kiss had been Elizabeth Bennet telling Darcy that his hands were cold.

That kiss, God help me, had been the one that lets you know the characters arefinallygoing to end up together.

But no agreement had been reached, and I wasn’t ready to talk.

Because I had no idea how I felt or what I wanted.

“Yeah, and he loves it.” Wes kept his hands on my lower back, holding me in place, and I could feel the press of all ten fingers. His dark eyes were intense, so directlyonme that it seemed like he could see my every thought when he said, “So we just kissed, Lib.”

I swallowed and looked out at the night below, mostly because I needed to avoid his gaze. Looking at Wes made me so confused. “We were pretending, remember?”

He made a noise in his throat. “Come on.”

“What?” I said lightly, as if it was no big deal.

As if that kiss hadn’t just scrambled my brain.

“Don’twhatme,” he said, half smiling, but his voice was dead serious. “That wasn’t pretend—”

“Liz?” Leo’s voice came from inside the attic.

“Out here,” I yelled, jumping away from Wes and awkwardly climbing to my feet. I stumbled in the stiletto boots, but Wes’s hand was justthere,steadying me, like that was where it belonged.

“You sure you’re okay?” he asked quietly, watching me with an unreadable expression.

“I’m fine,” I managed, looking into those dark eyes just before Leo popped his head through the window.

“You’re free,” he said, and Campbell was beside him, holding anactualflashlight. Their ski masks were a little jarring now, because I’d been a million miles away in a land where nothing existed except Wes Bennett and the stars.

“Thank you,” I said, ducking to climb back inside. “For going to get the key.”

“Of course, sweets,” Leo said, helping me in. “Was it terrible?”

I sensed Wes climbing inside behind me, waiting for my answer.No, it wasn’t terrible at all.That was what was so confusing; being with him was never terrible. I could be locked inside a creepy spider attic, forced to take refuge on a roof, yet somehow still have a great time.

And be kissed likethat, like he was leaving for war and knew he’d never kiss again.

“No,” I managed, realizing my hands were shaking. “I was with Batman, so it was okay.”

“Hey, Wes,” Campbell said, smiling at him and then giving me aholy shitlook. “If you’re really Batman, how come you couldn’t break out of here?”

“Maybe I didn’t want to,” he said in that deep voice, anddear God, there was no way I could look at him.

Leo giggled, which made Wes say, “Whoareyou?”

And he said it in the same tone he’d use if he were asking Leo why he’d just soiled himself, like he was disgusted.

“I am Cupid, the god of love,” Leo said dramatically, tossing a handful of confetti at Wes. “Let’s go do shots, Batboy.”

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