Page 34 of Tank
“Romance novels,” she deadpanned. “Specifically the bad boy biker ones.”
I watched as her cheeks turned from pink to red. Damn, if I didn’t find it cute. She was suddenly becoming a person to me. She was losing the image of the emotionless being that I’d come to know.
Then I saw her mask slipping, only not the way I wanted it to. No, she was bringing it back down. Her eyes darkened and her face turned hard, but I was determined not to let that happen.
“Same,” I said before she completely shut down on me. And damn if it didn’t work. Her mouth dropped open into the perfect O of shock. Her eyebrows went up and I mentally gave myself a high five. The thing was, it wasn’t even a lie. I’d probably read a hundred of those damn things. And enjoyed most of them.
“No…” she blew out in a shocked breath like she couldn’t even believe I was being truthful.
“Yep,” I said crossing my arms over my chest trying my best to play it cool like I hadn’t just said the most unmanly thing ever.
It started with her shoulders, they shook as her chest tightened and I could tell that she was trying to hold back a damn laugh. Then she brought her hand up to cover her mouth. All of it was futile because seconds later she threw her head back and the most beautiful sound filled the room around us. For a moment she was carefree.
Two things happened to me then. One, I was desperate to hear that sound forever. Two, I felt.
I
Fucking
Felt.
I had to leave. I needed to get out of this fucking weird situation with this woman who’d fucking fell into my life at the worst possible time.
She tilted her head back down and met my eyes. Her face turned to stone. It happened as if it were in slow motion. I imagined that she caught the look on my face and her expression mirrored mine. I dropped my arms and with lightning speed, moved to the door.
“Wait,” she called out. I paused at the door but didn’t turn to face her. “Something that makes you smile.”
I was tired of her game. I didn’t get the point. Or maybe I just didn’t want to. I opened the door, intending to storm out, but I paused for half of a second and gave her my answer, before slamming the door behind me.
“You.”
