Page 55 of Crocodile Tears
“Youdostill have that!” I exclaimed, looking down at the golden coin in his grip. My mind spun. “You’ve been wearing it this whole time?”
I’d hoped he’d kept it. I’d hoped the memory had been as special to him as it had to me. Suddenly, all of the times Deacon had rubbed his hand to his chest took on a whole new meaning. I’d thought it had been some sort of meditation tool, some yogi-appointed gemstone or something, but no, it was the coin—our coin—that he’d been touching this whole time. My heart thumped faster at the thought.
Deacon grinned. “I've almost lost this thing more times than I can count,” he said with a chuckle as he flicked it up withhis thumb and caught it again. “I finally had a jeweler make a magnetized clasp for me so I didn’t keep losing it in my pockets.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know.” He tossed the coin up again and when he caught it, his eyes landed on mine and snagged. “Maybe I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?” I asked as he passed it between his knuckles with practiced ease. “Oh, come on, you have to tell me.”
He weighed his head back and forth. “Maybe I should let the coin decide," he said. “Heads or tails?”
“Uh . . . tails.”
He flicked it up in the air, caught it, and slapped it onto the back of his hand. He peeked at it before showing me. “Tails.”
I cheered, bouncing on the couch in a goofy victory dance. When I looked back at him, he was just staring at me. My brow furrowed. “So what it is you were so afraid?—”
Before I could get the whole question out, he grabbed me by the back of the neck and kissed me.
My insides exploded, fireworks filling my body as his lips slid over mine. He let out a satisfied sound at the back of his throat that had my hands delving into his hair, pulling him closer. He tasted like popcorn and whisky—because he was drunk and not thinking straight.
He’s drunk and not thinking straight!
The reality of the moment crashed into me and I pulled my mouth from his.
Deacon dropped his forehead to mine. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a really,reallylong time,” he murmured, moving in to kiss me again.
I lurched backward, warring with myself to make the sensible choice.
“Wait.” I put a hand on his chest . . . and then slid it down to his cut abs because I wasn’t a fucking saint and when else was Igoing to have a chance? Still, I said, “You're drunk right now and you will regret this in the morning.”
He shook his head, his thumb sweeping across my cheek as he held onto me. I couldn’t help but lean into his touch.
“I'm not that drunk,” he refuted, trying to close the distance between us again. He managed one more amazing, world-shattering kiss before I rose to my feet, putting the couch between us so I didn’t climb him like a freaking mountain goat.
“Deacon, this is the alcohol talking. You probably won’t even remember this in the morning.”
He leaned back, tousled hair falling into his eyes and a smile on his swollen lips as he slung an arm over the back of the couch. “You don't know how wrong you are, love.”
“How dare you say such a hot thing right now!” I let out a frustrated groan, balling my hands to keep from touching him. “You probably won't even remember that you called me love.”
I started anxiously bouncing on the balls of my feet. Was this really happening? This couldn’t be really happening. There was no circle of hell where I would say no to Deacon trying to kiss me, was there?
“I will remember.” Deacon cocked his head at me. “Whyare you freaking out right now?”
I shook my hands out. “Because you’reyou! Look at you!” I screeched, gaping at him like he’d seriously lost his mind. “You don't date girls like me.”
“No,” he said. “I fall in love with girls like you.”
“Oh my god,” I whined. “Screw you for being so damn romantic! You are a hopeless flirt when you’re drunk.”
“I’m not doing this because I’m drunk,” he argued with an exasperated laugh. At least he was able to make light of the situation, even if I was utterly panicking.
“Then why did you say ‘never’?” I paced back and forth across his perfectly shined wooden floorboards.
“What?”
