Page 45 of Between Takes
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
Shaun’s scepticism was etched plain across his face.
“What are you going to have?” He crossed his arms, widened his stance and fixed me with a hard stare.
“I don’t know. I didn’t check the catering menu today.” I knew he was going out for lunch so I hadn’t needed to arm myself with that information. “Besides, we’re done for the day, aren’t we? I figured I’d go home and eat.”
Delight brightened Shaun’s face, but I wasn’t naive enough to ease my guard. “Ha! You’re coming with us, Sparky,” Shaun declared.
“No ‘ha’. Aren’t you listening, Hotshot? I’m not coming into town with you.”
Ryan’s eyes bounced between us, as if following a ping-pong match. What must we look like, bickering over lunch?
“You’re full of shit. No arguing. You’re coming to lunch.” I opened my mouth to protest, but Shaun held up his hand, a wicked glint entering his eyes. “One more excuse and I’ll carry you out of here.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” I crossed my arms and stepped back, eying him like he’d lost his damn mind, which he had.
“Close enough,” he grumbled. I screeched as he leaned down without warning and pressed his shoulder against my stomach.
He threw me over him fireman-style without pausing to check if I was okay. The pressure of his shoulder against my gut was not pleasant. My stomach might as well have detached itself and jumped into my throat. My hands scrambled for a hold, landing on his back pockets before my brain could catch up with the body part beneath my hands.
My face grew hot, and I buried it in his shirt. A couple people chuckled at us. Great, just what I need to destroy my badass image on set.
Shaun’s biceps tightened against my thighs, and my traitorous body liked it. Need gripped my centre and I squirmed on his shoulder, trying to escape the sensation. A hand landed on my butt, holding me firmly in place and intensifying the ache.
“Stop moving. I promise I won’t drop you.” Unlike me, he seemed entirely unaffected by his hold.
A beguiling voice dared me to move mine to see what he would do. I banged my head against his back until it stopped.
