Page 96 of King of Pain

I keep my gaze on the painting, but my voice drops. “You better stop, Beautiful, or I'm going to push you into a supply closet.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see his blinding smile.

And damn, what I wouldn’t give to paint that.

When we leave, I thank him again, but he just smirks. “We’re not done, Mister. Back to the car.”

Twenty minutes later, I’m staring in shock as we pull into a parking lot and Ant jockeys into a space. “Holy crap. Is that a giant bounce house world?”

He grins. “Yep. Let’s go work up an appetite.”

We step out of the car, and I’m still in mild shock, staring at the enormous inflatable wonderland spread out before us. I didn’t know things like this existed.

Ant just stands there, hands in his pockets, watching me with the cutest little smirk.

“Oh, it is so going down,” I say, grinning at him. “Come on, Pacini, let's get our bounce on.”

Ant’s eyes drop to my ass, completely unashamed, and he murmurs, “Looking forward to all the bouncing.”

I shake my head, laughing as we head toward the entrance. “You’re just a big flirt now, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” he says easily, flashing me a look that makes me want to drag him back into the car and do terrible, filthy things to him. “And you love it.”

I don't even bother denying it.

After getting our tickets and locking up our shoes, we step into what can only be described as the most ridiculous, over-the-top playground ever created. Bright colors, obstacle courses, giant slides, and massive inflatable walls surround us. Laughter and excited screams echo through the space, and for a brief wrinkle in the timeline, I feel like a kid again.

Ant shoots me a devious grin. “Guess we’re about to find out who’s more agile—hockey players or football players.”

“Wait, what—”

Ant takes off before I can finish, sprinting toward an enormous climbing wall, and he’s moving faster than I’ve ever seen him. His physical beauty still surprises me sometimes—football player, sure, but it’s the way his body moves so effortlessly that gets me.

I chase after him, catching up just in time to see him scale the wall like it’s nothing.

“Show-off,” I mutter, grabbing hold of the inflatable grips.

Ant looks down at me, grinning. “Come on, Sullivan. You gonna let me win on your birthday?”

I scowl and haul myself up faster, determined to beat him to the top. When I do, I throw my hands up in victory, but my celebration is short-lived because Ant straight-up tackles me, and we both go rolling down the other side, tumbling together in a mess of limbs until we land in a heap at the bottom.

I’m breathless from laughing when I feel him roll on top of me. I open my eyes, only to find his beautiful face directly above mine, his hands braced on either side of my head. He’s looking at me with that stupidly soft expression. The one that makes my heart gobah-bump.

I swallow. I don’t speak. Can’t.

Bah-bump.

His lips part slightly.

Bah-bump.

Out of nowhere, a group of kids runs past us, shrieking, and the moment is broken. He clears his throat and climbs to his feet, offering me a hand.

I take it, and he pulls me up easily, his grip lingering for just a second longer than necessary.

For the next hour, we race, tackle, bounce, and act like complete idiots, laughing until we can barely breathe. And now, I’m bent over, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath, when Ant checks the time on his phone.

“We better get going so we have time to relax and get dressed,” he says, still slightly winded. “Reservations are at eight.”