Test Drive - Samantha Chase Page 0,47
promised me a foot rub.”
His bark of laughter was out before he could stop it. “Willow, you got it!”
10
“What song would totally embarrass you if people knew you loved to listen to it?”
“Okay, but you can’t tell anyone…”
Willow made a zipping motion across her lips.
Levi let out a long, dramatic sigh. “I listen to Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ year-round.” He shook his head. “I love that song.”
She knew her eyes went wide but fought the urge to giggle. “Okay, wow. That was…not what I was expecting.”
They were lying in bed, in pajamas, facing each other. Only one small lamp was lit and even though no one else was home, they were talking softly. It was almost as intimate as all the kissing and touching they’d done last night, but for some reason, she wanted to talk to him right now more than anything.
“Although…I sort of got hooked on Wham’s ‘Last Christmas’ after seeing the movie by that name last year. I could probably listen to it year-round and not get tired of it.”
“I also really love Taylor Swift’s ‘Lover’.”
“Wow.”
Nodding, he said, “Yeah. I know. Now it’s your turn,” and reached for her hand and linked their fingers. “And it better be really embarrassing.”
“Trust me. It is.”
“Well?” he prompted when she didn’t share right away.
“Ugh…all right. It’s the Pina Colada song.” She huffed. “There. I said it.” Flopping onto her back, she closed her eyes and waited for him to laugh.
“So…you like Pina Coladas.”
Turning her head, she looked at him. “And getting caught in the rain.”
It was pointless not to laugh at that, and while they were both cracking up, Levi pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the head. “That is awesome. And surprising. That’s a really old song!”
“I know, right? I can’t even tell you when I heard it for the first time or why it stuck, but it’s on my playlist and I swear I listen to it several times a week.”
“Good to know.”
“New topic…did you ever have one of those themed birthday parties when you were a kid?”
“Guys don’t do that.”
“Oh, please,” she said with a snort. “Yes, they do. And I’m talking about when you were young–like ten or younger.”
“I was really into trucks, and one year my mom did everything with them–the plates, the cups, the cake…she even made a bunch of kid-sized trucks out of old cardboard boxes so my friends and I could sit in them and watch a movie in the living room.”
“Aww…that’s adorable!”
“Did you?”
“I have always loved Disney princesses, so I had several parties with a princess theme.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, why?”
“After everything you’ve told me about your parents and after meeting them tonight, I can’t quite envision them doing something whimsical like that.”
“Only on birthdays and holidays,” she admitted. “And trust me, they looked uncomfortable with it.”
“Did your siblings want parties like that too or did they come out of the womb as academics?”
The imagery was enough to make her laugh. “No, they were normal kids too. And really, they’re normal now. They just chose very challenging careers. And believe it or not, they both love them. I don’t think they felt the same pressure as I did growing up. It’s probably harder on me because…”
Levi placed a finger over her lips. “No negative stories. We were going for funny childhood memories and embarrassing things like that.”
She nodded.
“What was the best Christmas present you ever got?”
“That’s easy. I got a treasure chest filled with costumes–well, princess dresses and all the accessories. I was a different princess every day of the week. It was awesome!”
“Awesome? You must have been really young.”
“Not as young as you’d think…”
His eyes went wide. “Um…are we talking under the age of ten or over the age of twenty?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“Now I’m even more curious!” He hugged her closer. “Come on…tell me!”
But she held firm. “Sorry. No can do.”
“Willow…”
“Most embarrassing thing you’ve ever worn–either by choice or your parents made you.”
“Hmm…we went to Disney when I was around eight. I had a mullet and was dressed in this whole khaki outfit with a matching hat–like one of the tour guides on the Jungle Cruise.”
“That sounds so cute!”
“And I also had on a fanny pack.”
“Yeah, that ruined it.”
“Yup. What about you? And it can’t be anything princess related.”
“Well, duh. How can I be embarrassed about wearing something I love?” she asked, feigning sarcasm. “But I did go through a bit of a goth phase in high school. There are some pictures of me,