Page 164 of Time Stops With You

“Jenna found a better opportunity,” I say simply.

Nardi’s eyes widen. “Seriously?”

Saying nothing more, I reach for the string lights around her waist. The moment my finger brushes her delicate hip bone, she inhales sharply.

My eyes fly to her.

She seems surprised by her own reaction and I wonder if she’s remembering what happened in the tub.

Nardi eases away. “I… I’ve got it.”

“Yes, it appears so.”

“I heard the sarcasm, Cullen.”

“I wasn’t trying to hide it,” I mutter.

I let her wriggle around in the string lights since that’s what she wants to do. Asad approaches me, his excitement high.

“Everyone’s here, Cullen. Are you going to keep your promise?”

“Yes.” Eyes on Nardi, I instruct him, “Unload the robots.”

“Alright!” Asad pumps a fist.

Nardi stops, her fingers slackening on the lights. “Did you just say robots?”

Before I can respond to her, Sara approaches me with a clipboard. “Cullen, I’ll need a few minutes to draft the new layout of the auditorium and decide on a theme with Nardi.”

“Me?” Nardi sticks a finger in her chest.

Sara taps a yellow pencil against her forehead, focused on the clipboard. “I also want to divide the guys into teams, but that will take even more time and I don’t want them to get antsy.”

“They won’t. I brought two RC-1500s.” I check my watch. “You’ll have all the time you need to organize yourself before giving out tasks.”

“Great. Thanks. Oh, hey, Nardi. Nice outfit.” Sara gestures to the string lights.

“This wasn’t intentional,” Nardi says with a rueful grin.

I fold my arms over my chest and watch her tug at the lights. The knot only gets bigger.

“You’re tangling yourself more,” I point out.

Nardi narrows her eyes, her voice tight. “I can’t concentrate with you staring at me.”

“Perhaps if you weren’t so beautiful, it would be easier to take my eyes off you,” I say in just as huffy a manner.

She raises an eyebrow. “Are you complimenting me? Because that’s the angriest compliment I’ve ever gotten.”

“Are you ready to admit you need help?”

“Never.” She hops forward, mumbling, “I know there are some scissors around here somewhere.”

My patience runs out at that moment and I grab a hold of the loose end of the wire, giving it a tug. Nardi jerks back unexpectedly and I run ahead to catch her just as she teeters sideways. She ends up dropping into my arms and almost pulls me down in the process.

I find my footing, but we end up in a dip like dancers in a passionate tango. My hand remains tight on her back and I don’t immediately release her. Nardi doesn’t seem to be in a rush to distance herself from me either.

Her eyes search mine as her braids splay down to the gym floor. The neat rows keep her hair back and bring all the attention to her pretty face.

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