Ninja Girl
Page 22
Evers didn’t even put up a fight, too smart to know when he’d been beaten. It took the cops about ten minutes to get there, but with all the Elite Academy members in attendance, we had no trouble keeping the five agents under control. I used that time to talk to my mom—then went off to find Snow.
“I saw your leg sweep,” Snow said as I came up to her. She was standing over by the snacks eating a bowl of what looked like marshmallow fluff. “We didn’t teach that move in self-defense. Where’d you learn it?”
“From watching you,” I said, scooping up a bit with my finger. My eyes followed the spoon to her lips, and like the pansy I was, I shivered. “Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Shoot.”
“Promise you won’t hurt me first.”
She cocked a brow. “I promise.”
Alright then…”Since we caught the bad guys, I don’t think I need a bodyguard anymore.”
“Oh really?” she said and set the bowl aside, crossed her arms.
“Yeah,” I said. “You see that, right? There’s no more danger. The threat has been dealt with and good. Did you see Smith and your mom? She was crazy.”
Snow smiled. “She was pretty amazing.”
“Hell yeah,” I said then cleared my throat. God, this was harder than I’d thought it would be, especially considering everything we’d gone through. “I think you’re pretty amazing, too.”
A pause then—”That was weak.”
“What?”
“My God, you should see your face right now,” she laughed, and I knew she was just teasing. Thank God. “What I meant was you’re usually much better with the one-liners.”
I took a deep breath.
“Ash, are you okay?”
“I just don’t want you to be upset.”
“Upset about what?” she asked. “You’re freaking me out here.”
“Snow,” I said and pressed a kiss to her cheek, grinning as she melted into me, “you’re fired.”
“What?!?”
She jumped away from me, and I shrugged. “You’re officially fired. You’re no longer my bodyguard.”
“But why?” Her voice sounded confused and sad, and all the things I didn’t want it to be. “Is it because I let them take you at the drive-in? Honestly, Ash, I tried to stop them.”
“God no,” I said, grabbing her hand, holding on even as she tried to pull back. “No, that’s not it at all.”
“Then why?”
“So I can do this.”
My lips swallowed her protests. Her lips burned beneath mine, and I wanted more. Wanted her to forget where we were. Wanted her to remember how hot this fire burned between us. Wanted her…God, I just wanted her.
This one kiss was everything, so I put all of me into it. The longing, the fire, the respect, the bone-deep desire. This didn’t happen every day. I had to convey to Snow how unique this thing between us was. How absolutely vital. When she kissed me back, I could’ve died right there and been a happy man. Except then, I’d never get to kiss Snow again—which would be a tragedy.
We pulled away at the same time, gasping for breath.
“Why couldn’t you just have said that before?” she asked. “Did you have to fire me first?”
“You were so stubborn,” I said and laughed as her eyes sparked with annoyance. “I didn’t think you’d let me do it until after.”
“You’re probably right.”
“But since it’s clear we both enjoyed that, I don’t—”
Before I knew it, I was down on the mats. Snow’d flipped me. Again.
“You were saying?” she asked.
I shook my head as she leaned over me.
“Guess you’ll need to take a few more self-defense classes.”
“I guess so,” I said, running my hand through her hair.
Snow dropped a kiss to my nose, and I grinned.
“You know,” I said, “even though you’re no longer my bodyguard you’ll always be my ninja girl.”
“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and helped me up. “I hate that name.”
I looked at her. “Do you really?”
Snow took a second then said, “No. Not really—but if you tell anyone that I’ll kick your ass.”
And I kissed her again because I knew she could totally fulfill that promise.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book means so much to me for many reasons. A lot of times in YA romance the guy saves the girl, and that’s cool—but I wanted to write a book where the girl saves the guy. More than that, I wanted a book where the guy isn’t threatened or put off by this but wants the girl all the more because of her inherent badass-ness. Hence, NINJA GIRL was born.
NINJA GIRL is the second book I’ve published, the first dual POV. A lot of ninjas were involved in the making of this book, and I wanted to say thank you to everyone who helped :).
To my ninja girls (aka Mom, Colleen, and Pat), you taught me to be tough, follow my dreams and never give up. If my books have strong heroines, if warmth and love are in these pages, that is because of you. You three are the most kickass women I know, and I love you so much.
To Leslie, thank you for giving your honest opinion on my books. It is very much appreciated.
To Kevin, thank you so much for helping with the Korean translations. I would’ve been lost without you.
To Stephanie Mooney, thank you for the wonderful/amazing/awesome cover! I love it!
To the ADORKABLE readers, I can’t thank you enough. Your comments, ratings, reviews, tweets and messages lifted my spirits so much. Thank you for encouraging me to keep writing and saying you wanted to read my next book. You are amazing!
To Taylor, thank you for everything. You were one of the first people to believe in Sally and Becks, and I won’t forget it.
To Tija, thank you for giving my work a home in Hungary—and for the minions :).
To all of the ninja girls out there, never be ashamed of being strong, smart, or having ambition. Smart girls, strong girls, ambitious girls are beautiful girls. Whatever your passion, go bravely after your dreams. You can do it. And just like Snow, when you find the right guy, he will encourage your drive and respect you for it. If he’s like Ash, he may even love you for it.
And to you, reader, thank you so much for reading this book! I loved writing NINJA GIRL, and I’m so thankful you gave Snow and Ash’s story a chance. I’m so thankful you gave me a chance. Whether you’re a Snow or an Ash, a Sally or a Becks, I hope you find your happily-ever-after <3.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cookie O’Gorman writes stories filled with humor and heart for the nerd in all of us. Fiery first kisses, snappy dialogue, smart girls, swoonworthy boys, and unbreakable friendships are featured in each of her books.
Cookie is a hopeless romantic, a Harry Potter aficionado, and a supporter of all things dork. Chocolate, Chinese food, and Asian dramas are her kryptonite. Above all, she believes that real life has enough sorrow and despair—which is why she always tries to give her characters a happy ending. She is the author of Adorkable, her debut novel, and Ninja Girl.
Whether it’s about her books or just to fan-girl, Cookie would love to hear from you!
Website: http://cookieogorman.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CookieOwrites
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cookieogorman