Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

SIMON

I glanced toward her. A soft smile played on her lips, lighting up her face even in the dim glow of the dashboard. Something unexpected stirred within me. She belonged in a car like this.

"So, where are we going?" she asked. "Are we making a run for the border?"

I chuckled. "Not a bad idea. But no. We're not crossing borders tonight."

"Then where are we going?" she asked again, her brows furrowed in both curiosity and confusion.

"All in good time." I winked at her, glancing briefly to take in the playful roll of her eyes.

"You know, getting in the car with a stranger is probably not my smartest move," she said with a laugh.

"Scared?" I asked in a husky voice.

Without missing a beat, she shook her head. "Not even a little," she replied confidently. Our eyes met for a moment that felt like an eternity.

"That's what I like to hear," I said, returning my gaze to the road, but the air in the car was charged with something new now.

Suddenly, she leaned over, her finger hovering over the slick touch-screen interface of the stereo. "Mind if I choose some music?" she asked, even as she touched the screen. "If you're going to murder me, I'd like to go out with some good music."

"Do I look like a murderer?"

"Does any murderer look like a murderer?" she countered.

"Do you typically get into cars with men you don't know?" I asked.

"I don't typically do anything," she replied, putting on a rock station. "I like to live in the moment. I'm guessing someone like you wouldn't understand that."

"Someone like me?"

"All buttoned-up and serious," she replied.

"You'd be surprised." I chuckled.

"Do you lay naked in a bed full of money?" she teased.

"Only on really special days."

"Bathe in Dom Perignon?"

"A few times," I answered without missing a beat. "Want to bathe in champagne with me?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, thanks."

I pulled the car to a stop in front of the store. It was hilarious seeing Rylee's reaction when we arrived at the massive kid's department store. "We're here," I said.

"We're at a toy store," she said.

"Yes."

"It's closed," she pointed out.

"Not for us." I winked.

We got out of the car. A security guard was waiting to let us in and he locked up behind us. She turned to me, her face full of incredulity.

"What is this all about?" she asked.

I couldn't help but grin. "Money can buy a lot of things, including private shopping experiences at midnight. I need to find a gift. You've shit on the idea of giving him my car, so I need another plan. I can't show up empty-handed."

"Do you do this often?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Decide to go shopping on a whim when the employees are asleep?"

I shrugged. "I can't say I do a lot of shopping at all, but when I do, I prefer not to have to do it around other people."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I responded with a grin. "The thrill of secrecy, the luxury of picking what I want without being judged by strangers. The silence, the entire place to myself. No one looking at me and glaring or insulting me."

She looked at me for a moment, narrowing her eyes as if measuring the truth in my words. The corners of her mouth began to curl upward into a knowing smile. "You're full of surprises, Simon," she finally said.

I offered her a wink in response before focusing my attention on the rows upon rows of toys. "Alright, now, help me find something for the kid."

I found a couple of Nerf guns, ripped them open, and handed one to her. She looked at it, puzzled for a moment, before I shot a dart at her. The look of shock and then determination on her face was priceless.

"Are you serious?" she asked, a laugh bubbling up from her chest.

"Absolutely. You can't tell me you've never had a good Nerf gun battle. This is essential childhood material."

Rylee kept laughing, her eyes glinting with amusement. "You're nothing like I expected," she said, shaking her head and taking the Nerf gun. "Alright then, let's see what you got."

Without warning, I fired another dart at her, hitting her squarely in the tit. She blinked in surprise.

"Oh, it's on!" she declared.

And with that, the toy department turned into our battlefield. In between hushed laughter and the soft thuds of dart guns, Rylee and I became two kids let loose in a toy store. We ducked behind aisles and crawled under displays, taking shots whenever we had a clear view of each other. The lone security guard had made himself scarce. I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to get hit with a stray bullet or he realized this was something we wanted to do alone.

"Best two out of three?" Rylee suggested breathlessly after I scored another hit. I agreed with a nod, wiping sweat from my brow.

The tie-breaker round was intense. It felt like hours had passed when Rylee finally landed the winning shot on my shoulder, letting out an exhilarated whoop as she emerged from her hiding spot behind a display of stuffed teddy bears.

"Game over, Simon," she declared, shooting me a victorious grin. She was a mess, hair tousled and cheeks flushed with excitement.

I chuckled, admitting defeat. "Well played, Rylee."

"You know you have to buy those now that you opened them," she said.

I nodded. "I think I might keep these for myself. Never know when I might have a guest over that wants to play a little naked Nerf war."

She rolled her eyes. "I would think that might be very painful. If I were your opponent, I know where I would be aiming."

I winced, automatically bending over imagining that pain. "You're right. Bad idea."

"I'm going to look around," she said. "It's been a long time since I got the chance to check out a toy store. There is a lot of cool stuff these days."

"I'm going to look for the model cars," I said.

We parted ways, her laughter echoing softly through the deserted aisles. I smiled to myself as I walked toward the model cars section. The dim lights cast long shadows across the shelves, each packed with neatly arranged cars of all types and sizes. From sleek racing models to rugged off-road 4x4s, the selection was vast.

I ran my fingers over a shiny red race car model before picking it up and examining it. I used to love model cars. I wasn't sure if my nephew would be as thrilled. Today it was all about electronics.

"Check this out," Rylee said as she walked toward me.

"What is that?"

"It's a doll." She smiled softly. "I had this exact same one when I was little. I took this everywhere with me until I left it behind at a campground and never saw it again."

There was a hint of sadness in her voice. She plopped down on the floor and took it out of the box. "I'll pay for this one."

"How crazy is it they are still making this?" She smiled. "I truly saw this doll as my best friend. I'm so glad you weren't with me when I just saw this thing because I seriously almost cried. Then you would think I was a big softie."

"I don't think I would ever think that," I teased. "You almost killed me in the Nerf war."

"And let that be a lesson to you." She ran her hand over the doll's fake hair, staring at it lovingly. "When I was little, I was an odd man out. I struggled to make friends. I hated going to school. I really hated the dentist. I was terrified of bugs, public speaking, having people watch me. Basically, the total opposite of who I am now. Suzy, the doll, was the constant in my life. I loved that stupid thing. It went everywhere with me and made me feel like I had a friend along."

I arched an eyebrow, surprised to hear she was a timid child. There was nothing about her that said she was timid. "I like hearing about what you were like as a kid."

Feeling a surge of vulnerability, I decided to share something too. "I used to get picked on by my older sister, Marsha. She always wished I'd been born a girl and there wasn't a minute she let me forget it."

Rylee looked at me with a curious expression. "What do you mean?"

"She used to dress me up in our mother's clothes and put lipstick on me." I chuckled at the memory. "At the time, I didn't think it was very funny. She took to calling me Simone."

Rylee tried to hold it in, but she burst out laughing. It was infectious. "I bet you would be a very pretty girl with those lashes that make me hate you."

I playfully batted my eyelashes at her. "Eat your heart out. These are all natural."

"Oh, you want to play?" she said and jumped to her feet. "Stay right there!" She rushed away, but I had no intention of sitting and waiting to see what she had in mind. I was immediately suspicious and rushed to keep up with her.

I found her in a very girly aisle, holding up a purple box and grinning. "Look what I found," she beamed. "Makeup!"

"Oh, hell no," I groaned, but I couldn't stop laughing.

"Oh yeah, Simone ," she teased. "We're going to make you beautiful."

"Like hell you are."

She chased me around the store, calling me Simone and brandishing the sparkly lipstick. I ducked and dodged, tossing stuffed animals at her in an attempt to throw her off. We were going to have to clean up the mess we were making, but for the moment, I was enjoying having the place to ourselves to be as wild and carefree as we wanted.

"I'll catch you, Simone!" Rylee howled, darting around a display of superhero action figures. Her laughter echoed through the empty aisles, filling the store with an infectious exuberance.

I turned the corner, sliding on the polished floor, and knocked into a stack of board games. "Jenga!" I declared as the boxes tumbled around me.

"Oh no you don't!" Rylee screamed behind me.

In my mad dash to escape Rylee and her sparkly lipstick weapon, I found myself cornered in the model train aisle, surrounded by intricately designed replicas of various locomotives. There was no way I was going to crash into them. When she rounded the corner, I called a timeout. "This is a dangerous aisle. I'm going to step away from the trains. You can't touch me."

She rolled her eyes. "One… two…"

I moved away from the trains and took off running. Eventually, she caught up with me. We tumbled into a reclining chair in the nursery section. She ended up in my lap. The feeling of her against me was too much. I was turned on, trying to keep my composure as she leaned in with the lipstick.

What was supposed to be a goofy moment of her putting the lipstick on my lips turned into something else entirely. Our faces were close, her breath warm against my skin. She hesitated for just a second before our lips met in a steamy, passionate, frantic kiss.

My hands roamed her back, pulling her closer. Her fingers tangled in my hair as we lost ourselves in the kiss. The world outside the store ceased to exist. The neon lights, the toys, the memories—all faded as our kiss deepened.

We finally broke apart, breathless. Her eyes searched mine, and I saw a flicker of something I hadn't seen before. Vulnerability? Curiosity? Maybe even a bit of longing. I wanted to kiss her again, to explore whatever this was between us, but I held back, letting the moment settle.

Rylee laughed softly, resting her forehead against mine. "Well, that escalated quickly," she murmured.

"Yeah," I agreed, my voice husky. "It did."