“My car is not worthless!” Jana repeated as Deuce bodily lifted her into his truck. Her hand shot out to keep him from shutting the door and closing her in. He didn’t answer, he simply shrugged and walked around to his side of the car, leaving her door wide open.
His smile as he took his time situating himself had her clenching her hands to keep from smacking him. “So, old friend….” He tilted his head toward her, his arms looking way too fit and tight for his shirt.
“We are not old friends.” She snapped, cutting him off.
The sparkle twinkling merrily in his eyes deepened as his smile grew wider. “If we aren’t friends, J-Babes, what would you call me? Champion? Hero? Rescuer? Beloved? Best Kisser ever? Dream made real? I’d accept any of them but I think I should reaffirm that kissing one. It’s been a while.”
Since her fists were clenched in her attempts at restraint, she ended up delivering a good solid right hook to his arm instead of a slap. “Deuce!”
“Do I at least get chivalry points?” He laughed, completely unfazed by her hit. “I did stop and pick you up in the middle of nowhere and give you a ride.”
“I would have been fine.” Jana crossed her arms and leaned toward the door. She determinedly peered out the window, praying he would drive faster.
“Now J-babes. Talk to me.” He flicked her hair. “This is going to be a very long drive if we don’t say something.”
She hugged the door tighter.
He slowed down, driving well under the speed limit. Slower and slower until they were practically crawling.
She glared over at him. “What are you doing? I can walk faster than this.”
He winked. “Getting you to talk to me. And now that you are…” He nodded out the front window. “I might as well point out that I could make this the longest ride down Amaryllis you’ve ever had or we can be friendly and have ourselves a little chat. Sounds like you have a few things you’ve been wanting to tell me.” With how slow he was going he was able to lean over across the cab, hook his arm around her shoulder, and haul her back into the middle of her seat. “That looks more comfortable.”
“You’re a jerk.” She glared.
With a shrug, he shot her an easygoing smile. “You don’t know me, J-babes.”
“You were a jerk. In high school.”
“To you. Yes. I could see how it would come across like that.” His voice lowered and almost sounded serious. “My more gentlemanly attempts at gaining your attention usually were credited to other guys.”
Curiosity had her looking over at him as if she could figure out exactly what that meant.
His smirk reappeared when he caught her staring.
Finally she gave up searching through memories and huffed. “What things were you supposed to have credit for?”
“And let you know how much of a sap I was? No.” He shook his head but didn’t lose his smile. “Though I will tell you that Bobby Hanson wasn’t nearly as romantic as you thought he was. Neither was Tyler What’s-his-face.”
Jana’s spine straightened. “Tyler Derr?”
“Yeah him!” Deuce chuckled. “Idiot.”
“What do you mean? He was all sorts of nice and sweet. He left me all sorts of surprises in my locker.”
Deuce merely looked at her and her pulse skittered.
“Huh.” Deuce finally laughed and looked away, letting their speed climb just a little. They were still well under the speed limit. Too bad no one else would be driving this way to hurry him up. He smirked. “That was uncharacteristically sweet of him. Figuring out your favorite candy and flowers and color and stuff. Amazing. Never heard of him doing that for any of the other girls he liked.”
Her mouth dropped open. “No.”
“What?” He glanced over at her, though suddenly he focused on the road as if driving needed his full and undivided attention.
“No!” She grabbed his arm. “No, no, no.”
He flashed her another one of those honey sweet smiles. “Saying no doesn’t change the past. Or the truth.”
“That was you?” She smacked him hard, causing him to chuckle. “He was my first kiss. And I thought it was so romantic because he had just left me the best valentine in my locker.”
He did a double take. “It was that good of a valentine?”
She sat back suddenly and refolded her arms, refusing to look in his direction as she blushed.
“If I claim it as mine, do I get a kiss too?” His smile notched up past sweet and friendly and on toward smoothly charming. “Better late than never.”
Instead she gave his arm another smack. “Not likely. With everything you pulled in high school? The pranks, the teasing, telling Hunter that I had a crush on him. Do you know that I didn’t go on a single date my senior year because of that little announcement?”
“What?” He seemed genuinely surprised for once.
She nodded. “What did you expect? You told everyone that I had been pining for him for years like a deranged psychotic stalker. You were the star of the school, Mr Popular Senior. Then you left. I could barely show my face.”
“Wait! I didn’t mean to do that. I just didn’t want you dating Hunter.” His hand was soft on her arm, tugging at her.
“You tormented me for years.”
He shrugged. “Only seemed fair…at the time.”
“How so?”
“You tormented me long before I ever thought of getting your attention by acting like a jerk.”
She punched his arm again, though with less force. “Again, should I remind you of the milk dumping?”
His sudden laughter filled the cab. “That was definitely a lapse in judgement. I didn’t think it through. But I stand by what I said. I got you to notice me.” Then he turned his gaze toward her. “And fair warning J-babes, if you don’t stop hitting me I may have to pull this truck over and kiss you again.”
“You wouldn’t.”
He leaned closer, his hand reaching up and tugging her hair softly. “Would.”
