Page 23 of Nodus Tollens
“Well… I mean… isn’t it obvious?” She shook her head back and forth. “I’m not some clueless girl like you think I am.”
God, she couldn’t have been more wrong. Of course, I wanted her body. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t, but getting into her pants was the least of my intentions. How could she not hear my heart pounding like a fucking jackhammer against my chest?
“No, it isn’t obvious because you’re thinking one thing while I’m thinking another.” I explained while lightly dragging my hand across a soft blanket that lay draped over her computer chair. A sudden thought crossed my mind, and without thinking, I spoke. “Is it from previous experience or somethin’ that made you think the worst of all men? I can fuckin’ promise you, we’re not all like that.”
Still tucked safely into her closet, I watched as a flush coated her cheeks. “No, it’s nothing like that. I just… I just don’t pursue anything with guys. Ever.”
Damn.
If I wasn’t certain I could change her mind, I might have been unsure of myself, but I wasn’t. A little chase never hurt anyone, and to be honest, I was looking forward to it.
“Alright, if there wasn’t a bad breakup, then what is it?” For some reason, I had a hard time believing there wasn’t a guy in her life that did her wrong and made her skeptical of the rest of us. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for women to feel slighted by men, but the thought of someone making her feel like she couldn’t trust another man made me furious.
“Nothing happened, okay? It’s just a…personal choice.”
Personal choice? Ha, I didn’t buy it, not in the least.
“So, you never go on dates then?” I asked. Her eyes slightly widened, and on the shake of her head, I exhaled. “Huh…” I scratched at my chin, taking in the new information with a grain of salt. “Sounds kinda boring, in my opinion.” I shrugged, letting her know exactly how I felt, but toned down a bit. I couldn’t just come out and say that I planned on making it my life’s goal to change her mind because, yikes. I’m positive she’d run for the hills from that confession.
“Not in the least, actually, but hey, good thing there’s like a million other girls out there who I’m sure would love to be your friend.”
I’m sure there were, but I only had one girl in mind. A stubborn blonde who was still rocking that blue towel around her waist, making it harder and harder for me to stay focused. She even seemed to have forgotten the lack of clothing on her body as she became too preoccupied with arguing and glaring at me.
“Eh, I’m currently in the market for a short, tempered blonde who’s obsessed with the color blue and prefers wearing towels over clothes. Know of anyone?”
As if only now realizing her state of undress, she stomped over to where I was standing and quickly snatched the blanket off her chair. Throwing a venomous scowl my way, she used her free hand to wrap the soft-looking blanket around her shoulders and conceal most of her body.
“Can’t say I do, actually… You might want to up your standards a bit.” Then, with the flip of her hair, she strutted her little body across her room and stopped at the door. Up my standards?
Baby, there was no need for that at all when I was in the presence of fucking perfection.
Though I didn’t say it, like I haven’t our whole interaction, I couldn’t help but laugh at the significance of it all. When my whole life seemed to be riddled with confusion and agony, here was this girl who came out of nowhere and suddenly made me forget about everything. Hockey, my dad, life, it all dissipated into the back of my head just from being around her.
I couldn’t let that go, right? I mean, who in their right mind would let something like that slip through their fingers? Only a fool.
It had been a long time since something this thrilling, this intoxicating, demanded my attention. For the first time, it wasn’t hockey, but instead, a girl who made me want more.
“Why are you laughing?” She narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously, clearly uncomfortable, as if she thought I was laughing at her.
If she only knew.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like you before.” I confessed, and as cheesy as it may have sounded, it was true. She wasn’t like the girls I was used to. Instead, she was like an anomaly, an enigma. Someone you only dreamed about. There was a subtleness to her that put every other girl out there to shame. Even her unwillingness to please me or submit was a breath of fresh air.
Jesse’s girl ended up being right, though, unfortunately. Blue definitely wasn’t thrilled that it was me who showed up with her phone, especially now that I was currently in her domain and making her question things. Well, I at least hoped I was making her question things, but even if my charms and swoon-worthy smile weren’t affecting her yet, I fucking hoped they would soon.
“How original. And how many girls have you used that line on?”
“I wouldn’t say original, but it’s defiantly something I’ve never felt or said to anyone before.”
Her face contorted. Even her tiny nose was now covered in wrinkles as she stared.
“And why should I believe you? I mean, you already lied to me once. Not really off to a great start there, Hayes Decker.”
Damn…
Would she be pissed if I asked her to say my name again? Maybe a couple more times, actually? I had to give it to her, though. For someone who easily blushed and came off as shy, she sure as shit just told me how it was.
Did I already mention that I think I love this girl? Well, if I didn’t, I totally do now. There was something about a woman who had no qualms about putting a man in their place. Especially for someone like me who was used to everyone bending over backward to make me happy, whether I deserved it or not. So, when a light chuckle fell from my mouth, I grinned.
