He shakes his head. “Not how it works, hon.”
He presses his forehead against mine, and it shouldn’t make me melt, but it does. After Brett hurting me, intentionally or not, I feel broken. I need someone I can rely on. Deep down, I know that person isn’t Corey. In the end, he’ll let me down, just like the others, but for this moment, he can be my sounding board.
Of course, when he finds out that his partner-in-crime did this, maybe he’ll turn on me immediately, realizing that he shouldn’t help me.
Maybe I should lie.
No. I hate liars. Running away and forging as much as I have has been eating away at me as it is.
“A motorcyclist jumped the curb and went onto the sidewalk and almost hit me,” I say in a rush, staring at his nose instead of into his blue eyes. I’ve always loved any color eyes that aren’t brown. My own eyes are basically black, just like my dad’s, so I’ve never liked dark eyes.
“You don’t know how to break fall,” he says.
"Actually, I do, but break falling on the sidewalk when you have a backpack on and next to no time to react…" I shrug my non-injured shoulder. "It's going to pop all the time now, isn't it?"
“Not without reason,” he assures me. “Pamper yourself, baby doll, and you’ll be just fine.”
“I’m not one for pampering.”
“I noticed. You don’t tend to wear a lot of makeup.”
I laugh. “That the only way you think of that a girl can pamper herself?”
“Doubt you go to the spa much. Probably don’t get massages…. Any chances you give them?”
“Maybe if I would get one in return… but I would probably have to receive first.”
“Ah, bet you’re the kind of girl who wants to come multiple times.”
“Why not?” I ask. “Wouldn’t you want to come multiple times if you could?”
“Who says I can’t?”
“Guys have a cooling down period.”
“Some guys have a shorter window than others. Besides, there are things that can be done to make that window pass rather quickly.”
“Hmm.” I eye him, my lips twisting into a smirk. “How long can you eat a peach for?”
“Hours,” he says, giving me a look that could melt panties off a girl.
“Yeah, any guy can say that,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Want to prove it?”
The doors open, and an older man leaves the hospital. I figure we’re going to wait until he can shuffle along to the parking lot to resume our conversation, but no. Corey winks at me. “You want to drop your panties right here and now and spread ‘em for me?”
The old man glances over at us. “You go get her, son!” he calls.
Corey laughs, and even I have to. Once the old man is finally gone, I swat Corey’s arm.
“You’re incorrigible.”
Corey shrugs and lowers his arm from rubbing mine to holding me, embracing me. “Maybe you like that I am.”
“As if I like you at all,” I scoff.
He gives me a huge grin, and I swear, something might pass between us. Neither of us says anything, and the moment might be slipping by. It's starting to grow uncomfortable. He's still hugging me, but if we were going to kiss, shouldn't we have by now?
I pull away slightly, feeling self-conscious. Wanting to fill the silence, I blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.