Page 9 of Hound Dog
Slowly, he shook his head. “No… yousmirk. But it never reaches your eyes. Even just now, when you laughed. There’s this heaviness in your expression that—don’t get me wrong—is also beautiful. But the moment I saw you at my mom’s bakery, I knew… not only did I want to see your smile. But I wanted to be the one whomadeyou smile.”
Dang. “With game like that, it’s no wonder you’d be the first one murdered in a horror movie.”
His smile widened. “With cynicism like that, it’s no wonder you’d survive.”
9:17p.m.
“Are you kidding me?” I squealed, sitting upright. “Are youkiddingme?! There is no way inhellThe Exorcist III is a better film than the first Exorcist!”
We’dbeenbonding over our love for horror films until he threw out that ridiculous idea.
“Oooooh.” Finn sat up on his elbow and gave a shake-shiver of mocked terror. “She used a four-letter word! That’ll change my mind.”
I ignored his lame insult and instead began ticking off the reasons on each finger as to why the original Exorcist wasclearlythe better film. “Okay, first of all, the 1973 film was a masterpiece. It brought legitimacy to the horror genre and was the first ever horror movie to be nominated—”
“For an Academy Award, I know.” With a roll of his eyes, he cut me off. “I can spout off inane facts and statistics, too.”
“Inane?Inane!?”
“I’m notdiscountingthe fact that The Exorcist is an incredible film. I’m just saying that the third film is as good… andmaybe,for as underrated as it is, it’s even better.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but he quieted me with a gentle press of his index finger to my lips. An electric current skittered across my skin under the light brush of his finger.
Not fair.I couldn’t help that his touch did crazy things to me.
He took advantage of my shocked silence and continued. “The Exorcist III pivoted into its own unique storyline that complimented the first, but also stood on its own. Not to mention, the author of The Exorcist actually made his directorial debut in the third movie, making sure it remained true to his intentions. And even though they were robbed of Oscar nominations, George C. Scott and Brad Douriff gave two of the most nuanced and incredible acting performances I’ve ever seen in a horror film…includingthe performances by Burstyn, Miller, and Blair in the original.”
He finished his monologue and slowly pulled his finger off my lips with a satisfied smile.
I inhaled a deep breath through my nose, and when I licked my lips, I could almost taste the remnants of his touch.
A chilly breeze swept over us, and I shivered, running my palms over my goose-pebbled arms. It wasn’t exactly cold, but then again, it wasn’t super warm either. New Hampshire weather was weird.
Without asking, he reached into the bag and pulled out his hoodie, draping it over my torso.
It smelled like him.
The hoodie freaking smelled like him with its strange mixture of woodsy and sweet—like buttercream slathered on a tree trunk. It was weird and delicious, and I would have buried my nose in the cotton and inhaled like a glue-sniffing addict if that wouldn’t have made me look like a psycho.
Finn cracked his knuckles in an exaggerated display of victory and grinned. “Check and mate.”
“What?! Redact that checkmate!” I hugged the hoodie tighter around my torso and poked Finn in the center of his sternum. “Look, I admit that The Exorcist III is a good film.Good. But it doesn’t hold a candle to the first.”
“Says who?”
“Everyone! Literally everyone!” I cried, throwing my hands up. My voice echoed off the roof and dissipated into the quiet of the night.
“Clearly noteveryone.” Finn shook his head and pointed at himself before laying back down on the blanket.
I grunted and fell back, laying down beside him, keenly aware of the way my bare shoulder brushed against his. The back of his hand pressed into my leg, and he moved it in subtle strokes against my thigh that made my heart… and other choice areas… achingly tight.
I’d never before fought with a guy—not like this. Not in this playful, long-debate form sort of way that felt oddly like… like… foreplay. Not that I even knew what foreplay should freaking be like.
“Next thing I know, you’re going to tell me you preferred the Jaws sequels,” I muttered over the deafening pound of my heart against my ribs.
He was quiet for a moment before he said, “Well…”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “No. Just…no. Finn, you can’t possibly think that’s true!”
