“Quick! Take cover, Q. Incoming!” I yelled, diving behind the chair.
The room filled with laughter, but judging by the lack of my moan, none of it was Flint’s. I peeked around the chair to find him sitting as stoically as ever.
“Oh, come on, Wheels. That was funny.” I stood back up and walked toward him.
He cracked his neck, and the muscles in his jaw twitched. “Stop calling me Wheels.”
“Maybe Legs, then? It doesn’t really fit, but I like the paradox.”
His eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “Paradox?”
“Yeah, it means contradictory to what—”
“I know what it means. I just didn’t figure you did.”
“Wow. Judgy McJudgerson strikes again,” I deadpanned.
“I didn’t mean . . .” he started only to stop and huff.
“Right. Well, anyway. Yes, I’m taking your brother out to tag a few buildings, but before you get all preachy on me, they are being torn down next week. No harm, no foul.”
“No harm until you get arrested,” he bit back.
“Oh please. No one cares about those buildings. Besides, Max and Donna said they’d pull lookout in exchange for some burgers. Don’t you worry about a thing. I have it all planned out up here.” I pointed to my head. “If you’re worried, you could always come with us.” I bounced on my toes and waggled my eyebrows. “You know, just to make sure we stay out of trouble. I mean, I totally understand that you’re allergic to fun. But you could always pop an antihistamine or something.” I tossed him a smile, which went unreturned.
When he didn’t offer any kind of retort, I did what I did best: I kept talking.
“Also, I would like to formally retract my earlier statement. You can keep the beard.”
His dim eyes perked the slightest bit, and a tingle traveled over my skin.
There he was.
“How generous of you.”
“It really gives you a certain worldly, terrorist feel.”
“Perfect. That is exactly what I was going for.” He smirked.
Sarcasm wasn’t what I wanted, but it was a step in the right direction.
“I now believe it’s actually the bad attitude holding down your hotness. I think if you just stepped up your happy factor a smidge, you could really be a ten.” I was trying so hard not to laugh, but a small giggle escaped before I could catch it.
His lips finally lifted at the corners, sending excitement thrumming through my body. I was winning the war he didn’t even know we were fighting.
Victory was within my reach.
And he was my prize.
“Yeah? How much is a smidge, exactly?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m not an expert or anything. Maybe like . . .” I paused, tapping my chin. “Maybe just increase it by say . . . ninety-nine percent or so?” I finished as seriously as I could.
“Really? Ninety-nine percent?” He busted out laughing.
I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath as if I could physically absorb the sound. I didn’t need the extra laughs; I produced more than enough of my own.
But that one was his.
I wanted to keep it forever.
“I think you have problems,” he teased when he sobered.
I absolutely did. And the newest one of them was sitting directly in front of me.
It was no coincidence that I was standing in his apartment. Sure, Quarry thought it was his idea, but I’d planted that seed days earlier. It had started out with subtle questions here and there about where Flint had disappeared to, but by that morning, I had talked Q into a full-blown conspiracy theory in which Flint was lying about his injuries in order to collect disability checks from the government. Sweet, na?ve Quarry had fallen right into my trap. He’d no longer been able to resist knowing the truth about where his brother was really hiding out. It had taken a few days longer than I would have liked, but I’d patiently sat back and let Quarry lead me to Flint.
“Come on, Flint. Go with us. Just think about it. We can paint all of our troubles on that building then watch ’em knock it down.” I crossed my arms over my chest, pushing my breasts up.
And like a moth to a flame, his eyes dropped.
Flint raked his eyes over my breasts and slowly up to my eyes. I gathered my long hair and twisted it, pulling it over my shoulder. Holding it with the ends just above my nipple, I led Flint’s eyes right back down to my chest.
“Ash, if you think he is going to graffiti a building, you have lost your fucking mind. He once turned himself in to the principal at school for accidentally making a pencil mark on the desk,” Quarry said, falling into hysterics at his own joke.
But I was focused on the guy in front of me, who seemed just as interested in my boobs as I was in him.
“You have to come,” I whispered, and his lips twitched. “It can be your newsie for the day. And I’ll even let you have first pick of the paint colors,” I added.
“Seriously, give it up. He’s not coming.”
Oh, he was coming.
I innocently batted my eyelashes as I pressed my bottom lip out in a pout.