Mending Annabelle (Sequel to I Love You, Jerk Face)

Chapter 5

“Would you care to explain what just happened?” it was hard not to smile down at the little pixie, her whiskey eyes were bright with mirth.

            “Your sister,” he looked over her head briefly, should have known Roslyn had something to do with it, she was corrupting sweet Annabelle, “bet two of her fellow cheerleaders that we could get you two to leave with us,” he shook his head, smile still firmly in place.

            “I’m guessing they didn’t know Grady was her boyfriend and I her brother?” she nodded enthusiastically. “You are so splitting that twenty with me.”

            “Oh no,” she wagged one small finger up at him, “I won that money fair and square,” he forced a droll stare. “Okay maybe not exactly fair and square, but it wasn’t my idea,” no of course not, only his crazy sister would do something like that.

            “You’re still giving me half,” the couple had disappeared, so Ryder took the opportunity to take her hand and start for the house.

            “And why should I?” her tiny legs had to work double time just to keep up with his pace.

            “I missed my dinner,” she laughed loudly, the husky noise sizzling his nerves.

            “You still have your fries,” his gaze turned down to the almost empty basket.

            “French fries are hardly dinner.”

            “Is food all you ever think about?” her deep spine melting laugh sounded at his back. No honey, he looked over his shoulder at her brown eyes dancing in laughter as he drug her down the street, I think about undressing you.

            “I’m a growing boy,” he said instead.

            “If you grow anymore you are likely to scare people,” he stopped suddenly turning so that she bumped into his chest.

            “Would you be scared of me?” her whiskey warm eyes looked up at him, still glimmering in the moonlight.

            “Of course not,” without hesitation the words were spoken and even though they were spoken with the hint of a confused frown he smiled. He moved in a little closer, making sure that his arms loosely looped around her waist as her frown transformed into a full blown grin, god he wanted to kiss that smiling mouth of hers, test to see if her lips tasted as sweet as her words coming out of them. “We’re friends,” those two words felt almost like he’d been shot. Friends, he looked down at her, smile dropping away as his arms slackened further, “We are friends right?” he nodded just so the glint would come back into her deep brown eyes.

            “We’re friends,” seriously the friend zone? He turned abruptly, but made sure to keep her hand in his so that she had to follow. Ryder had never been banished to the friend zone? Friends with benefits zone yes, but strictly friends, never.

            Friends. How does a boy even begin to be friends with a girl? He glanced over his shoulder down at his little southern pixie clueless, but if it meant she was always going to be smiling up at him the way she was now, her little nose wrinkled in joy those rosy plump lips tipped up at the corners those warm honeyed eyes of hers glowing in the moon light and the pink tint that graced her rounded cheeks in delight then he’d be her damn friend. Though he wouldn’t be happy about it.

            “Well friend,” he tested the word, immensely disliking the taste it left, but the mocking smile she threw up at him chased it away, “since my sister probably took her boyfriend back to the house what do you say we go hang in your dorm?”