by Box Set
Dave returned to the study room after walking Emmie out, closing the door behind him.
I took a sip of the hot chocolate (more like cold chocolate by this point) to buy myself a few moments without it being completely awkward. Yeah, that didn’t really work.
“So,” I said, “I can’t believe we aren’t allowed to do a costume dance. Is there some other way we can make it fun?”
He dropped into the chair across from me and shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s too early for Christmas and a Thanksgiving theme isn’t really something anyone’s going to be interested in. Pilgrim chic isn’t really a thing, is it?”
“Sadly, no,” I laughed.
“What about some sort of non-holiday theme?”
I exhaled. It was disappointing that the best holiday of the year was going to be kiboshed by school administrators, just because of a few slutty apples.
“There’s something special about Halloween,” I mused. “Dressing up and being someone else for the night—that’s the best part.”
“Who do you want to be?” Dave asked quietly.
“Huh?” I looked up at him.
His amazingly blue eyes were boring into mine, looking right inside me. I couldn’t look away even if I’d wanted to.“If you could dress up and be someone else for the night. Who would you want to be?”
My face heated up and I couldn’t look at him anymore, because I was sure he knew I wasn’t talking about just wanting to wear a costume. My eyes lowered to my notebook where I resumed doodling. “I don’t know. Katniss, maybe.”
He was quiet for so long, I had to look up at him again, thinking I’d done something wrong. His head was tilted, curious, and I think he’d been waiting for me to lift my eyes to his before he spoke again. “Why?”
I had an easy out so I took it. “People say I look like her. Jennifer Lawrence, I mean.”
Dave sat back in his chair, his eyes moving around my face, taking me in. “You kind of do.”
Seeing another opportunity to deflect, I said, “I’m good at archery, too.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
I nodded. “My secret talent.”
He leaned his chair back onto two legs and gave me a cocky look.“Not so secret anymore.”
I smiled. “Not if you’re going to tell everyone, no, I guess not.”
“Maybe I will,” he threatened, making me laugh again. “Though I suppose if I did, you’d want revenge and I’d have to watch out for wayward arrows on campus.”
“Sir,” I said, teasing. “My arrows are never wayward.”
“Ah,” he said, dipping his head in deference. “Touché, ma’am.”
Despite the awkwardness (which maybe was only in my head) he really was easy to talk to. He and Emmie made a good couple and even without the fact that he was movie-star good-looking, he was a great catch. He kind of acted like he didn’t know how amazing-looking he was, which of course made him that much more attractive.
As I took another sip of my ice-cold chocolate, Dave lifted his arms over his head for a stretch, his Westwood hoodie riding up his body as he reached his fingertips toward the ceiling.
My eyes were drawn to that strip of flesh above his jeans. Something about that narrow line of hair that started at his belly button and disappeared into his pants…
Realizing I needed to totally not look there, I lifted my eyes to his. He wasn’t smiling anymore, but was watching me oddly. The slight color in his cheeks that hadn’t been there a moment before, told me maybe he’d seen me looking. And that maybe he thought I was looking even lower than at his stomach.
Nooooooo.
With a sputter, I choked on the liquid in my mouth, spraying it all over the table and my notebook.
And, more than likely, him.
“Oh my God,” I said through coughs. “I’m so sorry!” Which just made me choke more. I dissolved into a total hacking fit.
“Are you okay?”
No, I’m not okay, I thought. I kind of wanted to die in that moment. No, I definitely wanted to die. Ugh.
He got up to come around the table. “Brooklyn? You okay?” he asked again, giving me a sharp smack on the back. And then another as I continued to cough.
I managed to gasp out, “I’m fine.” Which wasn’t all that convincing.
He must have realized there wasn’t anything more he could do because he returned to the other side of the table, but he stood there at attention, waiting.
“You sure? Need me to get you some water or something?”
Holding my hand up, I shook my head, heaved through a few more coughs and prayed for the floor to open up under me.
On the plus side, my tomato-red face could no longer be just from embarrassment over getting caught looking at his belly.
After another moment, he sat in his chair; I could feel his eyes trained on me, but I didn’t dare look at him.
Finally, when I was mostly back to normal, I reached into my backpack and pulled out some Kleenex. I took a tissue out to wipe my watering eyes and then another to try to clean the hot chocolate off the table.
“You okay?” Dave asked again, suddenly making me really want to use him for archery practice.
“Peachy,” I said, my voice raspy. I finally forced myself to look at him to see the damage. His navy blue hoodie seemed fine, but then my eyes rose to his face.
God, there was a drop of hot chocolate on his cheek. I handed him a Kleenex. “Sorry. I got you.” I pointed at the place on my own face corresponding to his.
“Other side,” I said when he tried to get it and completely missed.
He wiped it off and looked at me with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah, you got it,” I said. I got up out of my chair and threw out the rest of the hot chocolate and the wet tissues, grabbing his on my way to the wastepaper basket. I somehow managed to fight the urge to just keep walking to the door and right out of the library.
* * *
Want more?
Masquerade is available now at your favorite ebook retailer!
About Katrina Abbott
A survivor of adolescence, Katrina Abbott loves writing about teens: best friends, cute boys, kissing, drama. Her main vice is romance, but she's been known to succumb to the occasional chocolate binge. She may or may not live in California with her husband, kids and several cats.
Thank you!
Thank you for buying and reading the books in the Daring Hearts Boxed Set!
