is due for a beating one of these days. Grayson shot me a picture of him cozying up to Laken after first. You couldn’t wedge a toothpick between them the way his body was jammed against hers. Although Grayson did text me a few minutes later and mention he asked her to homecoming. Maybe Laken shot him down, and he asked her as a reflex? There’s not one ounce of me that believes he’s into Grayson. He wasn’t that into her when he was banging her. Grayson’s not his type, and Laken very much is.
“Have you thought about homecoming yet?” I groan a little as I finish the question. I should have asked her in some memorable, romantic way and not brought it up like I was asking which fast food joint she wants to hit for dinner.
“Funny you should ask. Homecoming has been on my brain all day.” She bites down on her lip seductively, and a flare of heat shoots through my lower half.
Knew it. Coop asked, and she said no.
“Anybody pop the question yet?” Crap. Can I step in shit any faster? And what’s with making it sound like a fucking wedding proposal?
“I was kind of hoping this one guy would ask.” She casts a coy glance at the ceiling as she takes up my hand.
“Am I this one guy?” I pinch my lips to the side because this isn’t going how it should, and I know it. A part of me is afraid I’m not the guy at all.
“You’re the only guy.”
My body relaxes as she says it. Laken lifted a weight, and she doesn’t even know it.
I take her in with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, bringing out the almond shape of her eyes. Her cheekbones are cut high and sharp as they mimic a granite ledge. Laken is a walking piece of art that has the ability to make me tremble. She’s the only perfect being I ever want to sketch. I’d like to trace out every inch of her, slow, with my mouth.
“Am I the only guy?” I steady myself over her, relaxing my arms across her shoulders.
Laken’s brows dip as if she injured me and doesn’t know how to make the bleeding stop. Shit. I need to stop acting like a wounded pussy and accept the fact I need to fight for her a little harder than I thought.
“Wes.” She pulls me in by the back of the neck and sweeps her lips over mine. “There’s only you. I promise.” She needles into me with a sincere gaze. “There’s only ever been you. Please believe me.” She shakes her head, imploring me to hear her words, to feel them.
I close my eyes and crash my mouth over hers. Laken takes the initiative and thrusts her tongue into my mouth in long, hungry strokes. I can feel her heart drumming over my chest with a viral intensity as she wipes away any fear I might have had that Cooper Flanders was digging in deep—that he asked her to homecoming of all things. If he ever tried to snatch Laken, he’d have to pay in broken limbs, a broken heart wouldn’t be good enough.
Laken pulls back, and her eyes sharpen over mine.
“That was some kiss,” she whispers less than enthused.
“Hey?” Flynn barks from the other side of the counter. “Is that what they pay you to do? I’ve got a book that needs to find its way to the jackass writing my lit paper.”
Laken bubbles with laughter as she makes her way over. There’s a spring in her step, and I’d like to believe I gave it to her but something about the look she just shot me suggests otherwise.
They make small talk as she helps him with his stack.
Edinger walks in and skirts the miles of leather-bound encyclopedias on display mostly for decorator purposes. I go over to see what he wants before he makes a scene like morphing into a bat and crapping on me for the hell of it.
“Can I help you?” I’ve been pissed at him ever since he let loose and scared the hell out of Laken a few weeks back. He said he was just having some fun, but I’m pretty sure holding your decapitated head falls under the category of psychotic behavior, even for a Fem.
“Have you considered what we discussed?” He bleeds a dark smile. There’s a pained look in his eyes as if it took great effort to impart the false emotion.