Worth It

Page 13

“You did it,” I cheered. My grin must’ve been contagious because his trembling lips curved up at the corners. “Yeah,” he admitted breathlessly. Then he broke out with a full-fledged grin. “Yeah, I did. I did it.”
Clapping him on, I called, “Now do it again. One more step.”
His smile died. “Shit.”
The sweat beading against his brow matted pieces of his hair together, but that only made him look better. Man, it had to take talent for a guy to look hot even when he was afraid enough to pee his pants.
“So, like I was saying... What did the mute say to the midget?”
He scowled at me as he took the next step down. “You really want to crack jokes when I could plunge to my death at any moment?”
“Of course.” I was pretty sure he didn’t appreciate the forced cheer I put in my voice, but I kept it there anyway. “Now, what did the mute say to the midget?”
He sighed in exasperation as he eased another step down, and then paused to ensure he was stable. “Hell, I don’t know what he said. You’re short?”
I sighed, disappointed. “No, genius. He didn’t say anything. Get it? He’s mute.”
Pausing his descent, he speared me with an incredulous glance. “Really? I could die, and all you came up with was a lame joke like that?”
“Hey, it’s the only thing I could think up at the spur of the moment.”
“Well, it sucked.”
“Well, excuse me. What would you like me to come up with to distract you while you face the biggest fear of your life?”
“I didn’t say this was the biggest fear of my—” He looked down and immediately blanched. “Oh God. I’m going to die, aren’t I?”
Still clinging, suspended from the side of a two-story building, he was only halfway to the ground. It’d take him just as long to climb back up as it would for him to go down. He looked gray, as if he might pass out.
Passing out was bad. If he fainted, he would surely fall...and die.
Panicking, I blurted, “I kissed a girl.”
His attention zapped upward. “What?”
“At a slumber party,” I continued. “We were playing truth or dare, and I had to admit I’d never kissed a boy before, and that sometimes I practiced on my pillow or the back of my hand, or...whatever. So this girl said I could practice...on her.”
His mouth fell open, and his brown eyes bugged intently. “And?” he pressed.
I almost snorted. Geesh, what was it about girl on girl action that made guys so excited?
“And...” Crap. Think, Felicity. “And her lips were really soft.”
Knox almost missed his next step down. My stomach dropped into my knees, and I had to swallow a scream, but he didn’t even seem to notice his brief stumble. “And?”
I cleared my throat. “And she, uh, she tasted like cherry lip gloss, smelled like rose petals.”
I was worried that sounded too cliché, but he murmured, “Holy shit,” like he was really getting into the story. But then he had to go and add, “Really?”
I couldn’t keep lying, so I sighed. “No, not really.”
He blinked, confused. “Huh?”
“I’ve actually never kissed a girl. Or a boy. Or...anyone, really. Heck, I’ve never even been invited to a slumber party before.”
“But...” He shook his head. “Why would you be so cruel as to lie about that?”
“You said my joke was lame! I had to come up with something to sidetrack you.” When he opened his mouth, frowning, as if he was going to argue with me, I held up a hand. “And by the way, you only have one step left. You could probably jump to the ground from where you are.”
“What?” He looked down, and then cursed. A second later, he leapt off the wall and landed on both feet.
It took him a moment to straighten and look up again. But once he did, awe packed his expression.
“Congratulations!” I called. “You did it.”
He nodded solemnly before bursting out, “I can’t believe you lied about that.”
I laughed, and he scowled harder.
“You could’ve at least let me believe it was the truth. You didn’t have to go and crush my fantasy to pieces.”
“Oh my God. Why are all you guys such perverts?”
“Because all you girls—”
The sound of a car coming up the lane cut him short. We both nearly jumped out of our skins, knowing it was probably the sheriff. This side of the house didn’t face the driveway, but it still wasn’t a good idea for Knox Parker to loiter here, arguing with me. Plus, Max was still waiting outside my bedroom door. I’d kind of forgotten about him.