Page 51 of Savannah Royals
“Can you, pipsqueak?”
And because he asked for it, I deliver.
Target: Matthew DaMolin.
In one quick move, I dart forward and grab his arm. I spin around and duck, yanking him forward over my shoulder. He flips and lands on his butt in the water. I straighten and brush off my hands. “I think that finishes it rather effectively.”
With a shocked laugh, he hauls himself out of the water. His pants are soaked.
“Guess I shouldn’t have worried about you holding your own in the hospital after midnight. You’re the thug who lands my patients in there in the first place.”
He’s teasing, but he’s so close to the truth I bite my lip. I’ve given away far too much. Again.
“You’re lucky you wore white today,” he adds, eyeing me for payback.
“Such a gentleman.” I follow behind as he heads for the beach.
“Perhaps,” he says. “Or perhaps I just don’t want anyone else seeing what I’ve decided is mine.” The grin he tosses over his shoulder is downright sinful.
“Hmm, possessive already?” My heart jumps into my throat.
“Yes. Yes, I think I am. In fact, I’m so possessive, I’m going to go to my mother and ask her for a date with you straightaway. Which is the pinnacle of embarrassment because it’s my mom.”
“Chaperoned Academy dates are no fun. I’ll meet you wherever you want, whenever you want.”
“So it’s a yes then? To a date?”
Paul’s face flashes through my mind.
He told me he’s okay with this. Hetoldme to do this.
“Yes,” I answer, my heart thudding wildly.
“I’ll talk to my mother tomorrow. We’ll do it the right way. At first.”
“Oho! Well, aren’t you confident now? You’re already convinced you’re getting a second date?”
“Yes, I am. And a third and fourth too…uh-oh, I think the Ethan in me is showing.”
I tilt my head back to laugh, deep and full. It’s an honest laugh, which surprises me as much as him.
“I ought to walk you back,” he murmurs, perhaps a bit regretfully. “The sun is setting, and they’ve brought the motorcars around.” He nods up the beach to where my classmates are gathered.
I extend my arm to him, and Matthew walks me to where my fellow fourth-years congregate. Surprisingly, I notice Daniel hovering nearby with Florence, whose cheeks are flushed and lifted by a grin. Mellie’s eyes bug out of her head when I arrive with Matthew. And because it’s Mellie—she literally can’t help herself—she attaches to my side, practically hyperventilating in my ear.
Matthew gives her a brief questioning glance, but I’m not interested in an introduction. Not today. I forcibly separate from her, dragging Matthew a few steps away.
“I’ll see you soon for that date, Kat,” he whispers.
And then, in front of all the girls still standing on the grass and all the ones inside the motorcars with their noses pressed to glass, Matthew DaMolin—in soaking wet pants—leans in and presses his lips to mine.
It’s about as big a statement as he could possibly make, and the whispers begin immediately.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ThemonthofOctoberpasses in a blur. I see Matthew usually once a week. We go on chaperoned dates throughout the city and spend time together at social events on Academy grounds. An afternoon stroll in the gardens, or perhaps Forsyth Park, a tour through a downtown museum, a few dinners at corner restaurants. It could be fun, but we’re always accompanied by an Academy-sanctioned babysitter. They do their best to be unobtrusive, they really try. But unfortunately, for someone like me, who’s never had a parental presence in her life, it’s a tough pill to swallow.
So everything stays sweet and innocent between Matthew and me. Adorable, right?
