I would like to take that walk, however—with you. Have you ever been to the overlook?” Ballsy move on my end, but hey, that oil slick I offered her hasn’t been thrown in my face yet.
“Oh my God.” She snaps up her things in a fury. “You’re like a hit man with the bad one-liners. I’d suggest you smooth your moves out—but by the looks of the skanks in this place, I’m pretty sure the first two sentences out of your mouth would have landed you a horizontal with just about anybody else.”
“Don’t go.” I land a hand gently over her wrist, and her eyes blow up half the size of her face. Her hair moves slowly back and forth licking the air like flames. It’s a standoff I never meant to incite, but she pushes her books away a moment and takes a fry from the basket I gifted her. “Thank you.” It comes out with a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “I was headed for a hike tomorrow afternoon with my sister, Emilia, but she canceled. I’m still headed out, and I’d love to have you join me. What do you say? You, me, the open trails, we can dip our feet in the Witch’s Cauldron—it’s a natural hot spring right off the main road.”
Those day-glow eyes hold their gaze over mine, and it feels like magic, as if the stars had aligned and everything was moving in the right direction. She’s considering it. I can tell. My heart drums so loud in my ears, it’s all I can do to strain to hear her response.
“We might even see a bear,” I throw it out there like the crappy lure it is and immediately regret the mammal I just tossed between us. What girl in her right mind wants to see a bear up front and in person? My father is right. My lack of focus is ruining a lot of things for me. “They won’t eat us or anything.” And that just made it better. Crap. I’d better go home and staple my lips shut.
She leans back in her seat and lifts a brow in amusement. “My God, it’s Darwinism at its best. You deserve to get eaten by a bear.”
My grin widens at this beautiful girl with balls the size of North Carolina. I’m intrigued, enamored, and desperately in love with the challenge—with her.
“I probably do. How about a movie instead? Coffee, dinner—any place of your choosing. I sense a beautiful relationship on the horizon.” Beautiful relationship? I have never used the R word with a girl before. But this is no girl. This is a bona fide vixen who’s cast me under her spell. “What do you say?” “The Piña Colada” song blares through the speakers, and I point up. “This could be our song.” I cock my head to the side as if teasing, but I think we both know that I’m dead serious. It’s shocking how I’ve gone from the king of one-night stands to begging for a commitment from the first girl who’s shut me down in ages. Ever. Some might say that’s the key, but there’s something far more mesmerizing about her than a simple shutdown.
“Look”—she shoves her laptop into her bag and hugs her books before scooting to the edge of the booth—“I don’t like piña coladas or getting caught in any kind of a hurricane—and I don’t like you, Axel with an X,” she bites the words out as she struggles to her feet. “Don’t come looking for me at Barnes, and most importantly—don’t forget to feed the bears.” She takes off, and I shout after her.
“See you on our next date! The fries will be on me!”
“Aarggh!” she howls as she hits the exit, and a dull laugh gets caught in my throat. I have never botched up anything so beautifully.
My God, I need that girl in my life. I’d die to have her in my bed. She’s already in my head. How the heck did she infiltrate so quickly?
It’s clear Alexa Ximena Maxfield is no ordinary girl. Her bark is just as angry as her bite. She’s the exact kind of girl I’ve been looking for all along.
Who knew?
I’d let her take a bite out of me any day of the week.
She’s already taken a chunk of my heart.
A Fight to Remember
Lex
All of the madness that’s unraveled my well-orchestrated life in the last two weeks solely rests on the fact I accidentally made a friend.