Double Clutch - Реинхардт Лиз - Страница 32

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Because if it wasn’t, the only thing that could explain it would be that Saxon was deliberately touching me. I was torn. If I acknowledged it, I would help irritate Jake’s fury and give Saxon the satisfaction of drama. If I ignored it, Saxon might take it as a sign I wanted it or liked it. I pulled my legs up and away, but Saxon still managed to discreetly keep one fingertip gliding along the sensitive skin of my ankle.

I just concentrated on Jake. I made sure Saxon could see me bury myself in Jake’s arms. At the particularly steamy parts, I leaned up and kissed him briefly. He smiled down at me, and I knew it had to be obnoxious to anyone without someone of their own to kiss and cuddle. When the awesome last dance/jump sequence flashed on the screen, I drew my foot back and kicked Saxon. Hard.

“Ow!” he yelped and looked at me with something between irritation and respect.

“I’m sorry, Saxon.” I kept my eyes wide and my expression serious. “I had a leg cramp. I didn’t notice you were so close.”

“No problem.” His look told me that he gave me his grudging respect.

When the credits rolled I said, “Jake, I think we get a refill. Do you want to get one while I use the bathroom? I think there’s going to be a line.”

“Sure,” he said, then turned and gave me a quick kiss that left me wanting more.

It was excellent anyway.

As soon as he was gone I grabbed Saxon by the hand and dragged him to the lobby. There was no point in making a scene in front of all of our friends, because he would love that.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed.

He looked at me for a long minute with his eyebrows raised, clearly enjoying the entire situation. “You’re going to march me into the lobby because my fingertip touched your ankle?” he asked, his voice cavalier.

“Don’t do that.” I shook my head and pointed at him. “Don’t twist it so I sound ridiculous.”

“So what happened?” He reached out to put a piece of my hair behind my ear. I grabbed his hand, and held it, twisted out and away from my body.

“This.” I held his hand up high. “You can’t touch me like that, like we’re together.” I gritted my teeth.

“I wasn’t aware you were Jake’s absolute property.” Saxon twisted and pulled his hand slowly so we were almost holding hands.

“I’m my own absolute property.” I pulled away from him. “And I’m asking you to stop.”

“If touching your ankle does this to you,” he said, his body as close to mine as it could possibly be without actually touching me, “imagine what we’d be like together.”

“You’re an idiot,” I spat for lack of better words.

“Just a truth-speaker, baby.” He laughed at my back as I stalked to the bathroom.

Kelsie was in there. “Hey you!” She put on a coat of mascara and batted her eyes at her reflection in the mirror. “How’s your date?”

“Going good.” I was still shaky from my conversation with Saxon in the lobby. “How’s yours?”

“He’s very cool.” She winked at me. “Do you have the lipstick you’re wearing with you?”

“Yeah, here you go.” I pulled it out of my purse and handed it to her.

“Thanks. It makes your lips look really soft, almost like you’re not wearing lipstick.” She put it on carefully. “How do I look?” She pursed her lips for me.

“Beautiful.” I kissed her cheek. “I’m going to pee. You going back?”

“I’ll wait for you if you want,” she offered. Her eyes crinkled in their usual friendly way.

“Thanks, but you go. Just tell Jake where I am if he looks frantic?”

“That’s so cute.” She pinched my cheek. “You guys are already like some old couple.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know, we’re so adorable it’s nauseating.”

When Kelsie left, I thought about what I could do to combat Saxon and realized that was probably exactly what he was counting on. Saxon lived for mind games, and his touching my ankle had nothing to do with actually touching me and everything to do with burrowing deep in my head where I couldn’t get him out. I flushed and went to the sinks. I braced my hands on the cold white porcelain and looked at my reflection for a long time.

I was pretty. Especially with makeup and good hair and a cute outfit. But it wasn’t my made-up eyes or my crazy style that had Saxon attempting to tempt me with the tip of his finger on my ankle. My best guess was he liked me because I called him out on his bullshit. Maybe it was just novelty, or maybe it was an addiction. Because if I thought about being in a serious relationship with Saxon, I didn’t see the mind games ending; in fact I thought it would be just the opposite. Every word he said, every action he made would be to trip me up, keep me on my toes. And I was positive he would get happiness from it, perverse or real.

Who wants to be constantly on her toes with her boyfriend?

I washed my hands and felt like splashing water on my face, but I knew my mascara would never hold up.

I walked out of the bathroom and smashed into the wall of Jake’s chest. My hands went up instinctively, and I could feel just how threadbare the fabric of his shirt was.

“Are you okay?” He cradled my face in his big hands. “You were in there for a long time.”

I grinned at him because his panicked worry was just right, just what I wanted. And I realized he was what I wanted, alone. “I don’t need Pepto, if that’s what you’re dancing around.”

His smile made his eyes crinkle up, and I loved it. “You want to go in?”

“You know, I think they made a mistake putting Dirty Dancing first. How can you follow an act like that? I don’t think Footloose is going to cut it.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to buy you some cheap Chinese food.” I gave him my best sexy wink. I’m not ashamed to admit I’d practiced it in front of the mirror. Not very ashamed, anyway.

“I can buy you dinner.” His offer was a tad defensive.

I knew I had to match his tone with an even more defensive one. “I don’t know why you won’t accept some food from me,” I huffed. “Are you going to be this ungrateful every time we go anywhere, ‘cause I won’t be coming in that case.” I raised one eyebrow at him, very slowly. And knew he was completely taken aback, and floundering to figure out what to do.

“Alright.” He rubbed the back of his neck, then shook his head and put an arm around my shoulders. “Will your friends be worried about you?”

“I’ll text Kelsie and tell her so they can meet us after if they want,” I said, and even as my thumb danced over the keys, I felt a slow burn of satisfaction when I imagined Saxon sitting in the theater, plotting. I wouldn’t think of him, even once for the next two hours. “Done. Let’s go.”

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