Beautiful Heist

11. If We Get Caught, I'm Blaming You

Eleven

If We Get Caught, I'm Blaming You

"So what now?" I asked, looking over at John as we walked down the front steps of the museum. "Are we going back to the hotel?"

He nodded, glancing over. "Yeah. We've got a lot to go through before we...come back later."

I had to press my lips together and look down at my feet as we walked to keep John from seeing my smile. The way he put the break-in...it was almost like we were coming for another round of touring the exhibits, not breaking in to the place. Was he going to be this suave about the others we were sure to be committing? Then again, he did have some experience with this. Me? My record was completely clean. If we were caught, I was definitely going to bring him down with me.

Not watching where I was going, I ran smack into someone – of course, John. I stumbled, falling into him and face-planting right into his chest. He caught me before I had a chance to land on the pavement, but only ended up stumbling again.

"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" he asked, looking down at me with an eyebrow raised. People maneuvered pasted us and a few car horns sounded in the streets. All of it was background noise to me, though. It was kind of hard to hear it when my heart was pounding in my ears.

Why was it, though? Hadn't I gotten used to being near him? Of course, I had. I'd even gotten myself to where my heart wouldn't be doing a tap dance in my chest like it was currently whenever he was near. That wasn't to say the same for the look of slight wonder he sometimes gave me, the exact one he was giving me now. That, or I wasn't immune to it yet.

It was probably why I was at a loss for words. Because he was giving me the look and still had his arms around me, even though the only chance I had at falling was from a heart attack.

A moment later, he reached up and pulled my glasses from my face, sliding them on the top of my head.

"Um...what?" I asked. There was no need in playing dumb. I felt like my brain was going to mush as I looked into his eyes, still locked on mine.

"You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you?" he repeated

"I..." I...I...I, Emmy, am a complete moron who can't even form a complete sentence. Maybe if he'd take a step away from me, I'd be able to give him a more coherent answer. But did he? No.

"Caught you off guard, didn't I?" he asked as a slow smile spread across his face.

My knees were shaking. Come on, Emmy! Really? Pull yourself together.

I lifted my hands out from between us and to his chest, pressing them lightly against the material of his shirt. Yeah, the gesture was doing funny things to me, but him? His smile dropped from his face and the look he'd given me back at the Raymond house was back. I could feel his heart under my right palm, beating just as fast as mine was.

You know, since he was always being mean and annoying to me, why couldn't I be mean and annoying right back?

So I shoved him.

I wasn't really aiming to knock him to the ground ...but it somehow happened. I mean, me? The girl who was practically a foot shorter than him and definitely not as strong? I sent him straight down.

His eyes widened as he stumbled back a few steps and his foot caught on a crack in the pavement before he fell.

And I bet it hurt.