My Know-It-All Nemesis - Maggie Dallen Page 0,37

to laugh. I squelched it, but he must have seen something in my expression because his eyes lit with amusement and his lips quirked up in a smile that was so sexy, the butterflies in my belly went berserk.

“What made you change your mind?” he asked.

I drew in a deep breath. “You.”

He arched a brow. “I was in your head this weekend, huh?”

I felt heat creeping up my cheeks because…yeah. I’d thought of little else but Miller ever since that night. I waited for a cocky smirk, a laugh at my expense. But all I got was a satisfied smile as he leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you, either.”

I tucked some of the hair that was falling out of my ponytail behind my ear, feeling more shy than I’d ever felt in my life. I cleared my throat when the silence grew to be too much. “Yeah, well, I was thinking about everything you said. About how…” I bit my lip as emotions swept me up in a tidal wave. “About how you respect me and how you think I’m…” Ugh, this stupid blush was going to burn me alive. “How you think I’m fierce.”

“I don’t think it, I know it,” he said automatically. “You’re the strongest person I know. Not to mention the smartest.”

My heart melted. Sure, it had been awesome to hear him call me sexy—multiple times. That had been a massive ego boost. But this…this was being acknowledged by someone, other than my mom and Daphne, for the things I liked most about myself, and that felt unbelievably good. It made me feel seen in a way I’d never even known I needed to be seen.

“Yeah, well,” I continued with an embarrassed shrug. “Strong people don’t ask for a win by default. I’m sorry I did.” He was about to say something, but I interrupted. “I don’t want you to stop challenging me. Ever.”

He blinked in surprise at the earnestness…or maybe at my use of the word ever. That sounded like a long time. Like…forever.

“You want me to be your rival,” he said, his tone asking for confirmation.

I nodded. I did. I really did. I might not have appreciated it before, but his challenging me all the time had made me better. Not only that, it kept life interesting. “I…I kind of like having you as a nemesis, Miller.”

His grin was adorable. Sweet and sexy at once. “Good, because I love having you for a rival.”

I found myself returning his grin, so much so that my face was starting to hurt, and this moment was bordering on goofy. A few students walked past us, and Miller nodded toward the auditorium. “I guess we should go do this then, huh?”

I nodded. I supposed. But I didn’t want to. I had no desire to stand up there and make promises that would be next to impossible to complete. All I really wanted to do was find a quiet place with Miller. Somewhere we could finish the conversation we’d started the other night, and maybe…maybe even steal another kiss.

I didn’t want to go give a speech, and really, when all was said and done…

I didn’t want to be student council president.

It was the oddest thing, but admitting that to myself felt like a giant weight was removed from my shoulders.

And now…I knew what I had to do.

I started to turn away, but Miller caught me by the arm and tugged me back toward him. I went breathless as I found myself in his arms. Pressed against him, his arms wrapped tightly around me…

This. This was what I wanted.

He leaned down, and my lips parted with anticipation. Would he kiss me again? Here? Now? Where anyone could walk by and see us?

He leaned in further until his lips brushed against my ear. “I have a confession.”

I found myself grinning like an idiot at his teasing tone—the same one that drove me mad just last week. Granted, it still drove me crazy, just…in a totally new way. “What’s that?”

He squeezed my waist in a quick, tight hug. “I was never going to let you win.”

I let out a shocked laugh as I leaned back and swatted at his arm. “You jerk.”

“You just said you didn’t want me to!” He was laughing as he caught my hand mid-swing and clasped it in his, bringing both of our hands to his chest. To his heart, to be precise. “I knew you wouldn’t want to win like that,” he