Page 36 of Call My Bluff
“What does that mean?” he challenged. His gaze was piercingas it raked over her face, like he was trying to decipher an answer from her expression.
Olivia searched for something she could say that would close the issue for good. She hated that she’d kissed Noah because it opened the door for drama, which was her least favorite thing in the whole world, and she simply didn’t have the patience for it at this point in her life. But it also gave him a reason to think she would eventually...
She looked up into his eyes as a thought occurred to her—a devious, underhanded thought—but it took root in her mind and grew surprisingly fast until it was suddenly the most obvious solution she could have come to. She’d tried pushing Noah away, and it hadn’t worked. But what if she tried pulling him closer, instead? Hehadsaid he didn’t do relationships, after all... So what scared off a no-strings kind of guy faster than strings? Lots and lots of strings.
She looked toward the floor and tried to funnel all her chaotic emotions into her face.
Sad, sick puppies, she thought.Poverty. Homelessness. Hungry children.
She sniffed for good measure.
“Tell me, Pixie,” Noah urged.
“I just...” she answered, and her voice actually wavered. “I just feel so... so stupid!” she blurted, and she wiped a bit of genuine moisture from her eye. Yes! She was crying! She was so proud of herself she could have thrown her hands in the air!
But she didn’t. Because that would have ruined the effect.
Noah didn’t answer right away, but when she glanced up to gauge his reaction, he looked truly stricken. “I don’t understand,” he breathed.
“Of course you don’t!” she cried, really feeling her part now. “You said it wouldn’t mean anything to you, and I can’t believe I thought I could change your mind.” Another tear rolled down her cheek, and she watched as his eyes automatically followed it. He didn’t say anything, so she pushed harder. “I don’t want to be just another notch on your bedpost, or however it is you keep score.”
That roused him to action, and he closed his hands around the tops of her arms as if he thought he could press his words into her skin. “I’m not keeping score, Pix!”
“No?”
“No! I’m not that kind of guy!”
“You’re not?” she simpered.
“No!” he insisted, his eyes still earnest. “You’ve got this all wrong, Pixie.”
Perfect.
“Oh, Noah!” she gushed. She even managed a convincing hiccup. “I was hoping you’d say that!”
“You were?”
“My parents will love you!” she went on. She draped her arms around his neck and gasped as if she’d just had an epiphany. “What about February?” she asked.
“What?”
“Mom’s birthday party is the twenty-fifth, maybe you could come with me! The boys will be there, and my grandparents are making the trip. You could meet them all at once!” she chattered. She lifted up onto her toes and widened her eyes, trying to look as excited as possible.
Noah eyed her like she’d grown a second head and four more arms. “You want me to meet your family? Like... next month?”
“Yeah! Why not?” she answered.
He looked her up and down, visibly bewildered. “But we’re not even together.”
“Well, not yet, but we could always make it official,” Olivia said quickly. “You’re right, we’ve basically been on our first date already—reallytwodates if you count the arcade.”
His mouth opened slightly, like he was looking for a rebuttal but couldn’t find one.
“Besides, you really like me, don’t you?” she asked, taking a step farther into his arms.
“Well, yeah, I—”
“Good! Because I really like you, too,” she interrupted. She ran her finger along the line of his jaw, pleased to see a rise of color in his cheeks. He was dumbfounded; she could see it in his eyes. “We can do it tonight!” she said, barely keeping the laughter out of her voice. “All my friends are here. Why wait?”
