Page 35 of A Girl and HER Prince
She drew back from him, seeing that he was smirking in triumph. How did he know he was tearing through her walls, one plank at a time? “You need to come finish yourOdysseytour with me,” he surprised her by saying. “C’mon, Luvvy. No one else is as good a basketball opponent.”
Her smile grew the more he softened her with his teasing flattery. “If I was so good, you wouldn’t be calling me Luvvy right now!”
“A minor technicality,” he said. “I’d say we could have that all figured out with a rematch… although if youdohappen to win, I’d have to think of another nickname for you.”
“No, no!” She shook her head. There was no way he was getting her back into the Jacuzzi with him after what had happened last time—she’d been on her way to letting him kiss her—and actually, it was happening again.
Mayday! Mayday! Calling in all my leftover stores of resistance!
Every part of her was reacting to him in a way that was beyond her control—her heart was pounding and she could barely get a breath into her lungs, even her own voice sounded strange and husky to her ears as she tried to throw words between them: “You can replace me with Achilles.”
He scoffed. “Achilles? Clearly you haven’t seen his free throw. My sister’s just as bad. Turner has no hand-eye coordination—probably due to not enough video games as a child.”
“I feel so terrible for you,” Livvy said, managing to hold him at bay. “What ever will you do?”
“Try harder at convincing you,” he answered. He guided her into one of the more complicated steps of the dance.
Strangely, she found herself moving easily through the window of his arms as if she’d done this her entire life. Her back landed firmly against his chest like she grew from his rib. His cheek brushed against hers again and this time she couldn’t pretend to be indifferent.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll beg you from my knees next. I know you have a heart in there somewhere.”
Too much of one—it reminded her of its presence with every skip, lunge and fiery explosion. Venice was too practiced at setting that rebellious organ into overdrive and of course, it made her wary. Steadying herself, she got ready to tell him “no” one last time.
In the very next instant, he stepped off the platform of the stoa and landed hard into the dirt. She barely had time to blink, trying to figure out what had just happened. Rushing to the edge of the platform, she saw him struggling to his knees just like he’d threatened he’d do, only this was entirely by accident.
Livvy covered her mouth in a strangled laugh and gasp. “Venice!” Before she knew it, she was helping him sit back on the platform, dusting off his shoulders and back. “Are you okay?”
He gave her an uneasy grin. “Sure, if you don’t count my bruised vanity.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry!” Livvy felt terrible and… she was having a hard time keeping a straight face.
“That’s what I get for trying to impress you.”
That was it! She covered her mouth again, this time with a laugh.
He rolled his eyes, but she noticed with good humor. “That makes it even worse,” he said with a wry look. “No wonder I’m falling all over you. You know, you’re a lot more intimidating than you think.”
To a prince? He was such a liar sometimes, and yet, she had been pretty rough on him. She just thought he was… invincible.No one is invincible.
Ha! But this is also what he got for playing with her head, and still, she really should stop laughing. Livvy sat next to him, her hands all over his shoulders and back in her haste to reassure him she wasn’t some coldhearted monster. “Are you really all right?” she asked.
“Yeah… almost… if you could get that itch under my shoulder blade?”
Those strange hazel Tyndarian eyes twinkling over at her were just too cute to battle a second longer, and he had just taken a fall. She gamely found the itch. “Better?” she asked.
“Not quite…”
She fell into more fits of laughter and nudged him with her arm, feeling more at ease with him than earlier. Venice was a really fun guy. Despite all the bad blood, she liked his humor, especially in the face of the ridiculous.
And that made her wonder where Deedee was. Turning, she searched through the crowd to see if her enthusiastic friend was still talking to that guy by the pillar. She was nowhere in sight.
Venice touched her arm, bringing her attention back to him. “By the way, I’m not talking to you to make Deedee angry. It’s just you’re… different than anyone here… in a good way… irresistibly different actually. You’re not glued to your phone, for starters.”
Well… true.Livvy laughed. “Well, thank you—that’s quite the compliment.”
“Sorry.” It was his turn to run his hand over his face. “I’m messing this up. I just… like you. I want to get to know you better.”
And she was smiling like an idiot at him. She shouldn’t be—it was just that all of her reservations melted away when she talked to him and they could just be themselves. Here he was baring his heart, and she had no idea what hers was saying, only that it beat faster when he was near and thatwasforbidden.
