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“Ah, my bad. Wasn’t intentional. I have an idea. Since dinner wasn’t all that great, do you want some cheese and crackers?”
“Sure.”
“Okay. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
While she went inside, I inspected the surroundings. The balcony was on the second floor, and the inner courtyard was dark except for light from someone’s TV to the far left.
Heather returned with a plate full of crackers and cheese. “So, let’s change the rules. Answer a question, and I’ll give you a bite of cheese and cracker.”
“Sounds kinky.” I winked and immediately pulled her back into my lap.
“I’ll start?” she asked, and I wasn’t sure I liked the grin she had on her face.
“Sure. Shoot.”
“Do you like musicals?”
“Huge no.”
She sagged against me. “Damn. But here, have a cracker.”
“Favorite spot in the city?” I asked after swallowing a mouthful.
“Central Park. Yours?”
“The Rockefeller Center.”
“You’re a building lover, and your favorite building isn’t even one that belongs to your cousin?”
“Now you know my secret. Don’t tell anyone. Especially not my sisters.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t give you away... unless....”
“Unless what?” I pinched the side of her torso, close to her armpits. She yelped, pressing her arms to her sides, cutting off my access. She thought that would deter me?
I always found a way of getting what I wanted. Her feet were lying at the side of my thigh as she sat across my lap, soles upward under the blanket. I tickled her there, and she shrieked with laughter, immediately taking her legs away, crossing them in front of her. She was still laughing, juggling our snack on her lap. The sound reverberated in the yard between the buildings.
“Hey! Some of us are trying to sleep,” an angry voice shouted. Heather spun around, burying her face in my shoulder, still laughing. I ran a hand up and down her back, attempting to calm her down, fighting the urge to burst out laughing myself. There was no stopping us if I gave in. It took Heather a solid few minutes to calm down. Tears were streaming down her face when she came up for air. She wiped them away before pointing a finger at me.
“I was going to say unless you play dirty, but I see you’ve got that down to a science.”
“That’s right.”
“Don’t make me laugh again. I can’t stop.”
“Learned my lesson.”
“So you won’t do it again?”
The corners of my mouth twitched. “Didn’t say that. I’ll just keep it indoors.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I like hearing you laugh. Besides, if we keep it indoors, I can turn tickling into something... else.”
“Damn. If there’s a not-so-innocent part in any plan, you’ll jump on it.”
I grinned. “Glad we cleared that up.”
