Love is a Losing Game

LIALG - Chapter 14

           Evie and I were not about to try to walk back to Auradon Prep in the freezing December weather, so Evie pulled some strings and hooked us up with a ride. As if there weren't enough eyes on Evie and me at the diner when we were eating, I could immediately hear the excited whispers in the air when a limo from the royal court itself pulled into the small, shoddy driveway. Evie bounced on her feet in anticipation and didn't even wait for the driver to come out and open the door for her once the vehicle had stopped. I awkwardly clambered in behind her. The last time I had been in one of these I had come straight off of the boat from The Isle, but the uneasy feeling that settled in my stomach as soon as I got in quickly faded when I noticed that the driver was not dressed in the usual royal help uniform but rather something quite casual.

"Roger! Thank you so much for coming and picking us up on such short-notice – and on a holiday as well!" Evie cooed, grasping the windowsill of the limo between the front and the back seating areas to get a better look at the other occupant.

"Think nothing of it, Lady Evie; you are practically family! Besides, ol' St. Nick does not come until tonight anyway!" the man answered back with a wave of his hand.

My head unconsciously tilted at the mention of the saint. No one had told me there was a special guest coming tonight. I briefly wondered where he was going to be, considering most students and staff had left for the holidays. Perhaps he was exclusively a royal guest.

The driver's voice interrupted my thoughts. "I assume you are heading back to campus?"

"Yes, please," Evie requested with a beaming smile.

"Partition up?" he added next, and Evie's smile morphed into something more sly.

"You know me so well."

The next thing I knew, there was a tinted window separating the driver from Evie and me and a hand on my thigh. Even though I was wearing jeans, I could feel how cold it was through the material. Before I even thought about it, my hand covered hers, and my dragon heat began to travel through my body and to our intertwined fingers. She scooted closer to me until the sides of our bodies were in full contact with one another, and she hummed as her body absorbed my warmth.

"So," Evie drawled, giving me a look I couldn't quite decipher.

"So," I parroted back blankly.

"The ride to campus is going to take a while..." she casually supplied, letting her head fall against the back of her seat gently.

"Okay?" I answered, raising an eyebrow at her in suspicion. This time, I didn't miss the way her eyes flicked down to gaze at my lips. Now I could see what she was doing.

"What ever are we going to do to entertain ourselves?" Evie sighed dramatically, eyes sparkling with mischief.

I had to hold back a chuckle. "Hm," I mumbled in faux contemplation. "We could...play a game," I suggested.

"A game?" she echoed, her body tensing up in interest. "What kind of game?"

"Oh, I don't know..." I started, exhaling and looking out of the window dramatically. "We could count roadkill, play 'I Spy'...see how long it takes for me to kiss all that lipstick off of your fa-"

Predictably, Evie had grabbed my jaw and pulled me in for a kiss before I could even complete my proposal. My lips tightened as I smiled into the kiss, and she nipped at them in frustration.