Muffin Top

“What’s that smile about?” Frankie asked, pausing the motion of closing her door.

“I’m just happy.”

A smile tugged at the corners of his ornery mouth. “Then I say we let the good times roll.”

“Best idea ever.”

“I don’t know.” He lowered his voice and gave her a heated look. “I kinda like the one you had last night. I’m looking forward to a repeat. I have made plans of the hotel variety.”

There went her panties, because there was no way she wouldn’t spend the night thinking about exactly what he had in mind and hoping like hell it was the same naked, orgasmic things making her pulse speed up. However, judging by the singe-your-eyebrows-off heat level of the kiss he gave her before shutting her door, she didn’t really have to wonder. She just had to be patient. That man did love to draw things out, and she had a feeling the dance was going to be one long act of foreplay.

Who knew, maybe she could sneak him behind the football stand and have her wicked way with him.

Chapter Sixteen

The school gym had been transformed into an updated replica of the Under the Sea prom that had been held Lucy’s senior year. At least, she assumed it’s what it had looked like, with the mermaids and starfish decorating the walls, the blue and white balloons, and fish-shaped confetti scattered across the registration table.

“So what song are you two gonna sing?” Haven Sheraton asked as she handed Lucy her nametag. “For the last event in the decathlon, I mean.”

Oh shit. She whipped her head around and stared at Frankie, who was giving her a mouth-open look of pure horror that matched hers. With all that had had gone on, it had totally left her mind.

“Sing?” she managed to get out.

“Yeah, you remember how Constance loves to sing,” Haven said with a wistful sigh. “I thought she was gonna be on Broadway before all of that other stuff happened.”

As the panic of it really being time to break out the karaoke started to abate, she remembered how Constance would stroll the halls of Antioch High School surrounded by her friends as she sang everything from the Broadway classics to the latest hits. Even as a teenager, she’d been confident that every dream she’d ever had would come true.

“So, it’s karaoke time?” Frankie asked without the usual humor in his voice.

“Exactly,” Haven said before leaning forward and lowering her volume to a mere whisper. “Good luck, a lot of us are rooting for y’all.”

Lucy probably would have spent the next five minutes staring at Haven with a blank expression if it hadn’t been for Frankie, who steered her away from the registration table and over to a corner outside of the gym doors. As people streamed by, she finished processing her what-the-fuck-people-are-rooting-for-us moment and realized that Frankie “Mr. Confidence” Hartigan looked like he was about to puke on his shoes.

“Oh my God.” She pressed her palms to his cheeks, checking for a temperature. “Are you okay?”

“I gotta remind you of something.” He glanced over at the people passing by as if they were aliens on the hunt for a new human skin suit. “I can’t sing.”

She let out a relieved sigh, and the worry yanking her shoulders up to her earlobes eased. “Me either, that’s okay. We’ll suck together.”

“No.” He shook his head and visibly gulped. “I. Can’t. Sing.”

That’s when it hit her. The man who could probably talk the devil himself into giving Frankie a pass on an eternity in hell was petrified of singing in front of people. Like scared-out-of-his-mind-to-the-tenth-degree petrified. If he didn’t look like it was the end of the world, she would have laughed. This was not the moment for giggles, though. This was serious. And for what? A stupid crown? Totally not worth it.

“No big deal,” she said and brushed her lips across his cheek. “We’ll skip the event.”

He narrowed his blue eyes at her. “Then Constance will win.”

A few days ago, even the idea of letting her old high school nemesis win would have been among the worst things possible. Now? Well, reality had run one helluva check on her life and had given her a new perspective. That old shit didn’t matter. She had a good life, great friends, and was about to spend the night dancing with a man who made her do the happy sighs, if only for a limited time. All of that was way better than nursing old grudges and hurts.

“It’s no biggie,” she said. “I’d rather spend the night dancing with you.”

“Are you sure?” Frankie asked, the tone in his voice telling her just how unsure he was of her answer.