Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
When I let go, Lucy looked up at me in a haze. “What was that?”
“Everyone knows the best kind of kiss is one in the middle of an argument, Luce.” I winked.
Her mouth fell open. “The quiz...”
“I had to find a way to get you mad, so I could kiss you. Making you wonder whether you were going insane was the best I could come up with.”
Her expression softened. “You were the one who filled out the quiz?”
I nodded. “How did I do?”
“Better than anyone ever has.” Her mouth curved into a smile.
“Let that be a lesson.”
“In what?” She brushed her fingers over her swollen lips.
“I’ll be the best you ever had, Lucy.”
“You closed down the bar to kiss me?”
I inched closer. “I closed down the bar and canceled the event so we could be alone and talk. The kiss was part of the plan, yes. But the fact is, I don’t want anyone else to date you. I want to officially throw my hat in the ring. Because I think you’re amazing.”
“Is it just physical?”
“No, it’s not just physical. How can you think that?”
“Well, the whole…body-part-choice thing, maybe?”
“Forget about that for a second.” I sighed. “Sure, I’ve had a crush on you from the moment I can remember being attracted to girls, but it’s so much more than that.” I paused as I thought back to a core memory. “When we were younger, you cried when my cat died, despite the fact that not a single person in my family shed a tear. I knew then that you were special. I could go on and on about why I like you because I’ve had a front-row seat to your life.”
“Feel free to elaborate, then.” Her eyes twinkled.
“You’re kind, warm, and funny as all hell even when you don’t mean to be.” I shook my head. “I never thought that ex of yours was good enough for you. You’re the whole package, Lucy. And I want my chance. This feels like the right time to finally shoot my shot. Will you be my date tonight?”
Her chest heaved, and she smiled. “The way I feel when I’m with you lately is different from anything else. It doesn’t surprise me that you scored so well on that test, but even if you hadn’t… I’m not sure it would matter at this point.”
Yes. “Come sit,” I said, walking her over to a table in the corner where I had some specially curated items laid out.
She sat, a look of complete and utter shock on her face. “What’s all this?”
“Well, I thought I’d surprise you with some of your favorite things.”
“How did you even know I liked this stuff?”
“Because all those years when you were writing me off as someone too young for you, I was paying attention.”
Arranged on the table were items I knew she loved: old Nancy Drew mystery books, her favorite Gobstoppers candy, and pink peonies. Thrown in for good measure was a nostalgic photo of her and Maggie on Halloween, with me as the third wheel dressed as Batman off to the side. And then she noticed the coolest part.
“Holy crap. That’s the bright pink Stanley I waited in line two hours to get, only to find they were sold out.” She lifted it. “I hate to interrupt this romantic moment, but how the hell did you score this?”
I grinned. “Heard you talking to Maggie about missing out on it. I know a person at the store. They’d kept some in the back, so I had him snag one. I was gonna give it to you for Christmas no matter how things played out between us.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I can’t believe you did all this.” She looked up at me. “But it’s not about the stuff. It’s about the fact that you remembered the details.”
“I didn’t want you to think my attraction to you was only about sex.”
“Just to clarify, I’m not opposed to sex.” She winked. “In fact, I wouldn’t even be opposed to sex tonight.”
Fuck yes. My dick twitched. “Well, okay, then. You know, I’m starting to think it’s time to lock up the bar.” Lucy stood from the table, and I wrapped my arm around her and kissed her forehead.
“What do you think Maggie will say about all this?” she asked.
“She knows.”
Lucy’s eyes went wide. “She knows?”