Page 27

But also?
Way more fun, too.
“Can I talk to you for a minute, Liv?” The breath of Neil’s words sent a shiver down my spine. Or maybe it was the quiet, rough sound of his voice in my ear.
Either way, I was smoothing unseen goose bumps away from my arms when I turned on my heel to face him. “That’s two times, in less than two days, that you’ve scared the crap out of me, Neil,” I said.
“Sorry.” He chuckled. I wanted to yank the chuckle from his throat and throw it somewhere where it didn’t make me feel all…tinglyinside. “But can I steal you for a minute?” he asked.
“Sure.” And again with the drawn-out word that made me feel like a total idiot:Suuuurrreeee.
He stepped a few feet away from my circle of friends. Sydney’s eyes were about the approximate size of two golf balls, gawking at me from over Neil’s shoulder.
I stifled a smirk and redirected my attention back to Neil. “So, what’s up?” I asked.
He slid his hands into his front pockets, all casual and calm. And I showed superhuman strength by not stealing another glance of that general area. (You know the one.)
Instead, in my effort to avoid said area, I pinned my eyes to his, holding his steady gaze.
I couldn’t tell you if time stood still for a few minutes, or if losing myself in Neil’s confident awareness was a slow and deliberate thing, but we both stood there for a small eternity without saying anything—just simply staring at each other.
I would’ve been ashamed to admit that I got lost there for a while. Forgot who I was, maybe. What he was even doing standing there.
When we warped back into the present moment, his lips tugged up in a soft smile, and mine followed suit.
It was one of those real smiles again—one I could feel pulling at something deep and buried within me; I didn’t want to acknowledge what that was, exactly.
Neil cleared his throat, grasping the back of his neck with one hand before sliding it back into his front pocket.
I still held his gaze, curiosity taking over my thoughts.
“Rumor has it I make you nervous, Liv,” he said, finally breaking the silence. “But you don’t seem all that nervous to me right now.”
It was true. Iwasn’tnervous. Until he said that, of course. Now I could feel my nerves fluttering in my stomach, breeding like butterflies. But they quickly made way for the anxious energy flooding through me—an extreme, bodily harm inflicting, irritation.
Not with Neil, but with Jax.
You better believe the first second I saw him, I was going to kick him somewhere soft and vulnerable.
“What?” I deflected, going into defensive mode. “You don’t make me nervous. You’re Neil.” I huffed, shrugging, clearly lying my ass off, because in truth, he did make me nervous. Sometimes. Most of the time. (Who was keeping track, really?)
A frown line formed between his brows, and the urge to reach out and run my finger over it was overwhelming, eclipsing my irritation just like that. I clenched my hand into a fist at my side in case I dared to actually do it.
“And what is that supposed to mean, exactly?” he responded, humor beginning to light his eyes.
I scoffed. “I don’t know. That you’re not a threat?”
“Are you asking or telling?” He smirked. And… okay, for a brief second there, I did get flustered. Because… that smirk. It felt foreign on a face like Neil’s, yet entirely right somehow.So right.
I threw an imaginary lasso around my thoughts and violently yanked them back in. “Telling,” I answered confidently.
He nodded, a smirk still tilting his lips in a far too attractive way. “A little elaboration?”
I huffed out a breath, settling on, “You’re safe. I can crush on you, and you’re not going to, like, devour me or anything. You know?” I didn’t think evenIknew if that was actually the case, but it had felt right when I said it. For a split second there.
Until he stepped closer, getting all up in my personal space. “No.” He shook his head. “I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about…” His eyes narrowed. “So… you like me, huh?”
“Who said anything about that?” I replied.Usually,I was an expert liar; when it came to Neil, I guess all of that went out the window.