I hadn’t realized I stepped closer to her, but we were standing very close. Close enough that I could catch the hint of soap on her skin. I felt my nostrils flare as I tried to devour every hint of her fragrance.
“I’m pleased to hear that,” I said. The light changed and let a large group of pedestrians cross the street and come toward us. We were pushed even closer together as the crowd of people shuffled by.
Once they were gone, neither of us moved. My hands had naturally found their way to her hips, and I was suddenly aware of how close her lips were—how easily it would be to claim them in mine.
Instead, I took a step back. It felt like bursting a bubble that had surrounded us. As much as I wanted to take everything she had to offer, something was holding me back. Maybe it was not knowing if I only wanted her as some deranged way to get back at my father. Or maybe I just knew how much of a mistake it would be to let things between us solidify when I was still hiding such a huge secret.
“I was planning on going to one of my favorite places this afternoon. I’ll take you with me.”
“You’ll take me with you? Like kidnapping? I think the phrase you’re searching for is, ‘would you like to join me?’” When I’d stepped back from her, it looked like she had been holding her breath. But she was recovering back to her normal self quickly enough, it seemed.
I gestured. “Sure. That.”
Andi sighed. “For the record, I’m not going to serve as your translator from grumpy dick to polite forever. But yes, I’ll go with you, as long as you’re not under the impression this will be a date, or something.”
“You can call it whatever you like. And so can I. I’m calling it a date.”
Andi rolled her eyes but smiled.
“So, where does somebody who spends their time in a seedy, underground club called The Golden Pecker go for a date, exactly? Were you going to take me on a tour of Bram Castle to see the inspiration for Dracula? Maybe a museum of torture implements? Oh, even better! We could go to a Hot Topic at the mall, maybe pick out a costume for you to wear tonight.”
“None of the above.” I said. “But I do like surprises.”
Andi looked toward my car, clearly considering her options. I was surprised to find myself anxiously awaiting her response.
She finally let out a long sigh. “You’re lucky I love surprises too. And I’m way too curious for my own good. I’ll go.”9Andi“An aquarium?” I asked. “I have to admit, this is almost anticlimactic. Like, I was seriously expecting you to pull into some secret cave and tell me you were introducing me to your family. And I thought your family would be a bunch of bats.”
Landon ignored me and walked up to the counter while I wandered the gift shop. I stole a glance his way when I saw how long it was taking him to pay. He was leaning forward and talking with the girl at the register in a hushed voice.
A surprising spike of jealousy shot through me. Had he seriously asked me on a date and now he couldn’t even make it through the door without flirting?
I tried to casually get closer until I could hear some of what they were saying.
“Yes,” the girl said. “Your season pass includes one guest for free. We’re not really supposed to…”
“Can she use mine?”
The girl sighed, then smiled. “Forget it. I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.” She grabbed two orange wristbands, scribbled something on them with a marker, and handed them to Landon.
“You’re a lifesaver,” he said, rapping his knuckles on the counter before heading toward me. When he saw me looking, his face fell.
“What was that about?” I asked.
Landon cleared his throat and grabbed my wrist, wrapping the band around it. “She was just confused about something,” he mumbled. The innocent touch of his fingertips on my arm was like electricity. It brought me back to the street and the way he had been so close. I was certain he was about to kiss me, as insane as that would have been, and then it was like that switch in his head had flipped again.
“What is a dolphin encounter, exactly?” I asked.
“You’ll love it. Don’t worry about it. We’ve got about an hour to look around before we need to be at the dolphin tanks. They’ll explain everything when we get there.”
He was still wearing his tailored suit and tie, but I felt like I was seeing him in a different light here. Just a touch of that ominous, I’d like to eat your face off, vibe about him had dissipated. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was excited to be here. He should’ve looked wildly overdressed, but the way he wore his suit so comfortably made him look right at home.