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He seems like a genuinely good guy.Dammit.
“And this date with his little sister is just a kick-back?” I pose.
Loren clears her throat harshly, but Rowan chuckles. “Landry and I have been friends for years, so I wouldn’t exactly call it a kick-back. Although, I’m pretty sure I’d be coming out ahead, if that were the case.”
He glances over at her, and she rewards his compliment with a shy smile. And I grip the chair back so hard that I’m afraid I might actually break it.
“I agree, Doc. You’re a lucky man, but you should be forewarned. The lady reads a lot of romance novels. Her expectations are …” I let out a whistle while gesturing over my head with my hand.
Loren scoffs and jerks an elbow back into my thigh, making me wince and grin stupidly.
“That’s okay,” Rowan returns, giving herthe look. “I have a lot of practice with women.”
I roll my eyes this time, but I notice the way Loren blushes. She can’t really like this kind of crap, can she?
Because if she did, she’d be with me.
And maybe I’m not exactly relationship material, but what makes this guy more qualified to date Loren than I am, especially if he lives a couple of hours away?
If she’d have bothered to stick around long enough for me to explain myself the other day, I would have told her I was tired of wasting my time with women who couldn’t offer me anything more than physical gratification. Yet, Loren assumed I’d gotten all I wanted from her and figured a stranger would be more interested in the rest. After all, she’s got to be pretty damned desperate if she’s calling on Landry to set her up.
Not that I necessarily wanted her to give me a shot. It’s really the principle of it all that upsets me.
“Blake?” Loren’s voice calls me back.
“Yeah?”
“You’re still here.”
I purse my lips, slightly embarrassed. “Right. I should get back to my own table. Pleasure to meet you, Doc. Enjoy your dinner.”
And only dinner.
“Yeah, good to meet you, man. Have a great night,” Rowan replies before turning his attention back to Loren.
But I’m a glutton for punishment, so I reach out and graze my fingertips over the back of her shoulder, just low enough to stay out of sight. Satisfaction flares inside me when she gasps quietly and her eyelashes flutter. I lean down again, catching one more hit of roses—it’s got to be her hair—and whisper, “See you around, Reed.” Then I turn and make my way back to my own table.
Jada’s grinning widely when I return to my seat with my tail between my legs. “Not a word,” I mutter under my breath.
“You struck out, didn’t you?”
“You’re using words, Jada.”
“You. Like. Her.” She stretches each of the words out, and I grunt in response. “Have you dated before?”
“You’d remember if I had, wouldn’t you?” I retort before I take a sip of my drink.
Jada’s our go-to for nearly everything in the law office, from making dinner reservations to reminding us about doctor appointments. The other men count on her to send their wives the right color bouquets on their birthdays and to pick out jewelry for their anniversaries. She also keeps me in line, reprimanding me when I go too far with my sarcasm or make too many poor choices in succession.
“I haven’t been taking care of you forever. I’m sure I don’t know about every local who shares a history with you,” she replies knowingly. “And I feel like I’d remember hearing about you and Coach Reed’s daughter, especially if it had happened back in high school.”
I glare at her. “So you do know who she is.”
“Of course I do, Blake. This is Camellia. In fact, I’m pretty sure I waited in line behind her at the grocery store yesterday.”
I let my gaze travel over to Loren again. She’s smiling as she plucks a French fry from Rowan’s plate. She pops it into her mouth and does an adorable happy shimmy, and I watch her lick her lips while the memory of our first kiss replays in my mind.
Then she turns, her eyes instantly locking onto mine from across the restaurant, and my heart does something funny in my chest. And I don’t like it.
