Page 23 of Loving Lex

“What?”

Dropping her hands, she finally faced me, steel filling her spine again, her eyes narrowed. “Shecan’t waitto see you again?”

I paused, unsure how to proceed. Sensing a potential landmine, I weighed my words carefully. But I wasn’t surewhereto weigh them or what direction to go... till the look in those beautiful eyes registered.

She was jealous.

And jealousy implied at least a tiny amount of feelings, if not possessiveness.

Thank. Fuck.

I rolled my head back on the rest and began to chuckle. A chuckle that turned into a hearty laugh that morphed her wary gaze into a full-on glare.

She smacked my arm. “What’s so funny, asshole?”

I grinned. “You.”

“Me?”

“Yup.” I cranked the engine and shook my head. Jealous. Wow. Wonders never ceased.

“How am I funny?” she demanded as I began to drive.

“Have you met Mr. Kane’s sister yet?” I asked, diverting.

We were going to talk about Sundae and this jealousy business, but not in my truck where I couldn’t touch her.

“Uh... no. I’ve never seen Mr. Kaneorhis family. Heard a lot about them.” She flashed me a look. “Why, is she as beautiful as they say? Doesshewant you, too?”

My laugh shook my chest again. Damn, this was good shit, and I felt guilty goading her, but her being jealous over me? It was a fucking rush.

“Seriously? You’re laughing at me?” she said.

I cleared my throat, fighting my mouth’s urge to twitch. “She’s dating one of the security guys, Shay,” I said. “And I don’t know what they say, but she’s not as beautiful as you.”

She rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath, facing forward. “Oh.”

We drove in silence the rest of the way to the apartment. I parked, then rushed out to help her out of the truck and walked her up to her door. I waited while she slid the key in the lock. “Is it a beer by the pool kind of night again?”

She looked up at me, incredulous. “Really?”

I smiled. “Come on.”

“Why did you laugh at me?”

Undone by the vulnerability in that one question, I knew I had to end my little game. I reached out and raked one hand through her hair, then cupped her jaw. “I wasn’t laughingatyou, Shay. I was laughing because I was relieved. Tickled fucking pink, actually.”

She seemed truly confused. “Because?”

My thumb tracked over her lower lip, and I watched her body’s automatic reaction to me in the slide of her eyelids, the gentle speeding up of her breathing.

“Because you actually thought I’d touch Sundae with a ten-foot fucking pole and was jealous about it. It’s adorable and sexy as hell.”

Her eyes flashed. “I’m not—” She swallowed, cutting off her own words as I leaned further into her space. “I’m not jealous.”

I ran my nose along her temple and a hand down her rib cage to cup her hip. “You sure about that?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Johnny,” she said, her tone breathy. “That’s ridiculous.” She clutched my waist, her own body calling her a liar. “We’re not anything. You’re not mine.”

---