“You okay?” His voice is deep and rough, as if he doesn’t use it often, and his eyes are a rich brown color I could melt into. His jaw is so sharp you could chop wood with it and there are hard muscles packed across his massive chest and arms as well. Like a sexy lumberjack. He can chop my wood any day. Yum. This is not an Iron Man situation. Tess would totally approve.
I take a hot minute to drag my eyes away from the ridged muscles visible under the black tee. It’s hanging on to his chest for dear life. When I do, a white skull symbol snags my attention.
“Punisher!” The excitement has me bouncing up and clapping my hands. I scan the handful of guys jostling each other in front of him and the assortment of anime characters behind me, but it doesn’t look like he’s with anyone. “I think this was fate. Me standing behind you in line today. We were meant to be friends.”
He raises one brow, tilting his head to look down at me, and a barely audible grunt comes from his mouth.
He doesn’t look hostile, just confused by my random burst of enthusiasm, so I keep going. “I mean. Obviously, I’m Black Widow. You’re the Punisher. We should team up. Are you here all weekend? Or have you got a single-day pass?”
His lips twist the slightest bit at the corners. Pretty sure he’s trying to hold in a laugh, but he finally gets a couple of words out. “All weekend.”
“Amazing. Are your friends here yet, or are you meeting them inside? My con bestie bailed on me, so I’m in the market for some hang buddies.”
“No friends. I’m here alone.” The smile is visible now. He couldn’t keep it in.
“You don’t have any friends? I’m so sorry. I bet you’re glad you’ve got me now.”
He shakes his head, but then his eyes trail down the skintight latex encasing my body. The heat in his gaze is another sign I’ve got him. A buddy for the weekend. What kind of buddy is still to be determined.
If he turns out to be a complete weirdo, I can ditch him. But if not... well, maybe I can make use of the solo room I’ve gotnow and really enjoy my last weekend of freedom before it’s back to school.
The mass of people shifts in restless anticipation as the doors swing open and the line inches forward as people step up to the registration table. It’s on.
My new friend doesn’t seem to notice the shift of excitement in the air, his eyes still glued to me in bemusement.
“The line’s moving. Come on. We’ve got to get ready.”
“To move three inches at a time?” he asks.
“Yup. Limber up.” I reach over my head, but my attempt at a stretch fails as the tight fabric groans. I shrug, flicking the red wig over my shoulders.
A short bark rips from his chest, and his shoulders shake. I broke him already.
“I thought that was going to be way more of a challenge.”
“What?”
“Making you laugh.”
His shoulders put extra strain on the shirt when he shrugs.
“Since we’re going to be spending the weekend together, I should at least know your name. I can’t call you Punisher all weekend. Although I will in company if you’re a purist about staying in character.”
His mouth opens, closes, and opens again as if he’s reluctant to give me his name.
“I promise not to steal your identity.” I tell him.
“Dev. My name’s Dev. And you?”
“Cece.” There’s no hesitation for me. Sometimes I’m more cautious about giving out my real name. Especially after mymost recent spectacular escapade. But there was not an ounce of recognition in his eyes, and he scanned me so intently it was almost like he could read my thoughts.
I hold out a hand to shake on it. His warm palm closes over mine, swallowing it up, and a tingle of excitement shoots through me at the contact. This is going to be an epic weekend. Maybe even life changing. I can feel it.
Chapter 4
Cherry On Top
Dev
