Page 44 of Revenge Puck

She doesn’t so much as blink.

The waiter clears his throat. “And for you, sir?”

I don’t look away from her.

“Hers sounds delicious,” I say at long last. “Two spoons. Two straws.”

Her eyes widen, pleased and surprised.

When she smiles, I know she feels reckless and wonderful, and I realize how easy it will be to make her fall in love with me.

Too goddamn easy.

“Sharing is intimate, you know,” she says carefully, unfolding her napkin and resting it on her lap.

“Is that a problem?”

She shakes her head too quickly. “No. I didn’t peg you as the sharing type—or someone who likes intimacy.”

The image of Bailey fucking Declan involuntarily flashes in my brain.

“I contain multitudes.” My tight-lipped smile barely reaches my eyes. “And I don’t mind intimacy as long as I don’t have to spill my guts to people I still consider strangers.”

Shit.

Was that harsh?

Must not be, because Juliette laughs. “You do not contain multitudes. You should have seen your face when I ordered a shake.”

“I don’t typically eat dessert before dinner.” I lift my hands. “But here we are.”

She bites down on her bottom lip. “Here we are.”

We regard one another, knees touching beneath the table, her hands still folded primly, and for a moment I consider letting the silence linger to see how she responds to it. But Juliette regards me with that sweet expression, unperturbed by my insinuation that we’re strangers.

“Have you heard from that jackass you were on the date with the other night?”

Juliette nods. “Of course. Guys like Preston have no self-awareness—he was rude, condescending. Obviously, I’m not going to see him again.”

Good.

Fuck that guy.

“What does a good date look like to you, then?”

“A good date?Hmm.” She hums, thinking. “I guess…being with someone who will listen without interrupting. Like, the person across from me is listening and not waiting for their turn to start speaking.”

I nod once. “Low bar.”

“You’d think.” Her lips quirk. “What about you?”

“Me? What about me?”

The waiter returns before I can answer, setting down a tall desert glass, whipped cream piled high, cherry on top.

Two spoons are laid next to it.

Two straws.