He laughed hard. “You bet I do.”
He grabbed her hand and hoisted her up. He ignored the little voice going off in the back of his head saying, “Andy used birth control and look what happened?” He didn’t want to hear it, mostly because he wanted to recapture that feeling of making love to Cadence without a condom as a barrier. Yeah, it was a thin barrier, but a barrier nonetheless. He wanted total physical connection, so he smothered the voice with his own: “Birth control is 99.9 percent effective.”
Cadence grinned. “Um. Yes it is.”
“Did I just say that out loud?” Mark asked.
She giggled. “Yep.”
Mark shook his head and led her to the bedroom.
“We won’t have a repeat of earlier this year,” Cadence said reassuringly. “But if by some freak accident we do, you’re not allowed to break up with me.”
He scooped her up and tossed her on the bed. She squealed.
“Oh, I’m not letting you go anywhere,” he said, eyeing her like a delicious dinner. He was suddenly ravenous. “I wonder what you taste like today, Cadence.”
She blushed. “What do you mean?”
He climbed on top of her and slipped his hand between her legs. “You always taste like what you’ve recently eaten.”
“What?!”
“You do.”
“Oh my God!” She buried her face in her hands.
“Why’s that embarrassing? I love it. It’s like a game. Figure out what Cadence had for lunch.”
She laughed in her hands.
“May I?”
She spread her fingers and peeked at him through the cracks.
“So what do you get if you win?” she asked.
“A tasty meal.”
“Mark!”
“Mark!” he mocked, then kissed her hands. “I can’t wait to hear that when I’m seventy. ‘Mark’!”
She dropped her hands. “You think we’ll still be doing this at seventy?”
They stared at each other, grimacing.
“And there goes my hard-on,” he said. He rolled them over, securing his arms tightly around her back.
“You won’t find me sexy at seventy?” she asked.
“You’ll be sexy forever. Me, on the other hand? First off, I’ll be eighty. Second, that’s old as dirt. Third—”
“You’ll be young forever,” she interrupted. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Yeah, but the idea of a wrinkly old penis . . .”
“Mark!!” Cadence buried her face in his shoulder and laughed hysterically.
“I’m just sayin’.”
“Don’t!” she cried. “Don’t say another word!”
“This sex is ruined, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Totally.”
“Hmm.”
They were silent for a time. Mark rubbed Cadence’s back while she nuzzled his neck.
“Wanna play Mario Kart?” he asked.
“Sure.”
He’d find out what she ate later.
He felt reckless, but he didn’t care. She was a magnet, and her pull was stronger than gravity. He was certain of it because he walked towards her against his will. He had no control over it. One foot in front of the other. Right. Left. Maybe she wasn’t a magnet. Maybe she was a little witch, and she’d cast a spell on him, forcing his compliance though he was conscious of the dangers. She’d destroy him, and he thought he wouldn’t mind.
Turn around! his brain cried, but he ignored it and placed his lunch bag on the table.
He watched her in his periphery. She stiffened in her chair, and he thought she already knew. That quickly. Damn. Women were perceptible.
He chatted pleasantly with two other students before addressing Cadence. He wouldn’t ignore her. She was, after all, the sole reason he sat at this particular lunch table.
“Hi, Cadence.”
She jumped in her seat. “Hey.”
“You doing all right?” he asked. He decided to have a little fun with her. She was obviously flustered. He wanted to remind her that she was the one who compelled him to take a seat beside her. Remember that spell you cast, he wanted to say?
“Just fine,” she replied. She twirled her fork in her mashed potatoes.
“Not hungry?”
She tipped the bowl and looked straight at him. “Does this look appetizing to you?”
Not in the least, he thought. But you sure as hell do.
“Not so much,” he said instead. “You wanna split my sandwich?”
Was that a ridiculous suggestion? He thought it must have been because she looked put out. Not offended or disgusted. Just put out.
She shook her head.
“You probably need to eat something. Helps the brain work better. Plus, you’re really tiny,” he said.
Her eyes went wide, and he suppressed a grin.
“Are you taking good care of my handkerchief?” he asked.
She glared at him, and this time he let the grin creep over his lips. He imagined she caught on to his game by now. He wanted her to. He knew it was unwise to tease her so soon. He felt the vulnerability radiating from her tiny frame. He wasn’t trying to take advantage of it. She was just so damn cute. Couldn’t she understand by now that he wanted her to have his handkerchief forever?