Esme let out a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a sob, grabbing a pillow and throwing it at his head. "RYAN, I SWEAR TO EVERYTHING HOLY, I WILL—"
Ryan caught the pillow effortlessly, his grin widening. "Violent tendencies. Another common symptom of suppressing your true desires," he teased, finally allowing a hint of amusement to slip through his tone.
"You…" Esme narrowed her eyes at Ryan, who was still sitting there with that infuriatingly smug grin. The gears in her mind turned rapidly, and then a wicked smile spread across her lips. Without warning, she jumped onto the bed like a lioness pouncing on her prey.
"Violent tendencies, huh?" she said, crawling closer with a glint in her eyes that made Ryan lean back slightly. "Let me show you my real violent tendencies!"
Before Ryan could respond with one of his ever-so-composed remarks, Esme lunged forward and started furiously tickling his stomach.