“You thought you were being sneaky wiping away those tears, but Isawyou.”
“What do you expect?” I asked. “I’m not a monster. At least not when it comes to fictional characters. I reserve my contempt for real people.”
“I call bullshit,” he declared, leaning back with his elbow propped against the sofa.
“Funny, because I call bullshit on you too,Mr. I-can-handle-it,” I fired back. “Maybe you’re not the emotionally aloof guy you’ve led people to believe you are, either.”
“Emotionally aloof, huh?” he asked. “I thought I was an asshole.”
I shrugged and flashed him an amused smirk. “Same thing.”
“Seems there’s more to me than you thought.”
“Iguess,” I said with an exaggerated eye roll.
His tongue flicked over his lips before they stretched into a smile. “Maybe next time we can pick something less depressing.Top GunorThe Fast and the Furious.”
Next time?My stomach did a backflip.
I scrunched my nose. “I’ve got to draw the line there. Nobody moves me to tears like Vin Diesel.”
“Oh, really?”
“Those muscles,” I said, wiping away an imaginary tear. “They’re works of art.”
“So, that’s what it takes to win you over,” he said. “Biceps as big as your head.”
Actually, I prefer pale dudes with eyes that see right into your soul, who know how to use their fingers on a fretboard, and also, probably on a woman.
But I couldn’t say any of that out loud, so instead, I said, “That, or like, vampires. More Lestat or Louis than Edward Cullen. I prefer my vampires to be more charming than sparkly.”
“Sparkly?” he asked. “Is that a thing? Do they dress in sequins or something?”
“Never mind,” I mumbled. I’d already disturbed the man enough for one night without detailing the entireTwilightSagafor him. Maybe I’d save that for next time.
He ran his long fingers along Earl Grey’s back. “It’s getting late. I should probably get going.”
“Oh, yeah.” I rose to my feet with him. “I’ll walk you out.”
“This was fun,” we both said as we moved toward the door.
A nervous laugh crept out of my throat. “Thanks again for dinner. That was…unexpected.”
“But not unwelcome?” he asked, his hand hovering over the knob.
I shook my head. “Not unwelcome at all.”
He dragged his fingers through his hair and fixed his gaze on me, taking a step closer. It took all the strength in my body to not close my eyes as I breathed him in, the scent of coffee and the quiet calm after a storm drawing me in.
“Would you maybe want to hang out again tomorrow?” he asked. “If you’re not busy, of course. I know you have the day off, and you probably already have plans.”
“I don’t,” I said, probably a little too quickly.
“It’s just that…I think I’ve decided I’m going to rent a place here. At least short-term while I figure out what’s next.”
“Oh, really?” I tried to temper the excitement in my voice.
“Dallas and Katie have been great to let me stay with them, but I think I need a space of my own,” he said. “And I could use someone who knows the area well to help me find something.”
