Page 13 of Lightning Angel

Alexa sighed with a soft smile. “If it makes you feel better, you just made me laugh for the first time in a long while, since my dad passed away.”

“I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said, his voice earnest. “And yes, it does make me feel better. I’m glad I got to make you laugh.” Again, there was a smile in his voice.

Alexa was intrigued now; she wanted him to turn, she wanted to see that smile. She replayed his face in her mind and wished to see it again.

“Are you going to turn or not?” The words escaped her lips before she registered them. But she didn’t regret it, nor did she shy away. Hanging out with the mean girls in her school and pretending to be acool girllike them had done her some good—besides getting Daphne as her best friend. She didn’t get shy easily.

“Why are you so keen for me to turn?” His voice took on a playful note.

“Seriously?” she asked with a bitten laugh. “I’ll play with you as long as you want, if you turn and face me.”

“I don’t want you to faint.”

Alexa snorted. “I’m tougher than I get credit for.”

“Youdoseem tough.”

“You don’t even know me yet.”

All he did was shake his head; she imagined him smiling too. It drove her insane and annoyed, trying to picture a smile on his face while he was right in front of her.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“Why can’t you just look at me? You do realize you’re proving that you’re a stalker by not turning around to look at me, right? First, you were staring at me in the church, and now you are here, saying that you saw me struggling to find a book for myself.” Alexa didn’t mean her accusations, her only hope was that he would be offended enough after being called a stalker and turn and face her.

“Now, now, you can’t accuse an innocent man of being a stalker for coincidences.” He was amused.Amused!He wasn’t even defending himself.

“I don’t see any coincidence here.” Alexa uncrossed her arms and threw them in the air, still gripping the book.

“I’d love to enlighten you,” he said, obviously smiling. “I stopped at the church when I heard the most beautiful singing voice I’ve ever listened.”

Alexa’s heart skipped a beat.Me?A blush coated her cheeks for the first time in a while longer than since she had laughed.

“Now, here, I came looking for my next read when I spotted you. And you are calling me a stalker.” He laughed.

Alexa didn’t respond; she couldn’t, she didn’t knowhow.

“You still there?”

“You could turn and see for yourself, you know?”

The handsome stranger laughed. “How about we turn this into a game? Neither of us should turn and look for each other.”

Alexa rolled her eyes. “And what’s in it for you and me?”

“Isn’t being mysterious something girls find as hot and alluring in boys?”

“Can you repeat the part where you said you don’t know how to flirt?”

“Gladly,” he said, and recited his previous words, emphasizing each word. “I don’t know the first thing—”

Alexa burst out laughing. “You’re hilarious.” Couldn’t he detect jokes?

“And you’re laughing,” he said in that soft voice once more. “Again.”

“What’s your name?” she choked out, realizing that they’d been throwing jabs at each other without knowing their names.