“So he’s known their baby’s gender the entire time, and he’s never told Becca?”
I’m truly astonished. I’ve spent a lot of time with them the past three weeks, and up until a minute ago, I would have happily declared they keep nothing from each other.
Elvis nods, then grimaces. “Well, he hasn’t directly said it, but—”
“Ohh. . . the giant teddy in the nursery. He bought that, didn’t he?” When Elvis nods, I tap my feet on the ground. “I told Becca his fur wasn’t aqua. That’s straight upbaby boy bluefur!”
I sink deeper into my seat, loving the excited butterflies taking flight in my stomach. Becca and Dalton will be great parents, and, if I’m being honest, I’m dying to meet the little person they created together. I don’t have any siblings, so until I marry someone with a shit ton of brothers and sisters, this is as close to an aunt as I will become. I’m also not the one about to squeeze a watermelon through a lemon-sized hole, so I’m feeling great right now.
I’m still buzzing with excitement when Elvis pulls his fancy sportscar into Mickey’s Pizzeria’s parking lot. This early at night, it’s more deserted than usual.
My eyes stray to Elvis when he says, “Grab a bite to eat with me.” His tone reveals he isn’t asking, but he’s not demanding I eat with him either. He’s giving me a suggestion and letting me choose whether or not to run with it.
Although it will most likely make me even more embarrassed, I ask, “Do you not recall what happened the last time we ate together?”
A ghost of a smile raises Elvis’s cheeks. “Are we talking about the cue stick or our trip home?”
I give him mytake your picklook.
His faint grin turns into a full, blistering smile. “I’m safe either way. One, Mickey’s doesn’t have a pool table. And two, your campus is right over there.” He points to a row of buildings, unsure which dormitory is mine. “I don’t need to drive you anywhere. You can walk your sorry ass home.”
I rake my nails down his pec like all the super-hot chicks in the movies do. Regrettably, I don’t have the French-tipped nails required to pull off the sultry tease. I kept mine clipped when I played netball in my teen years, and habit has kept them that way.
My breath tickles Elvis’s jaw when I lean in close to his side. “The only thing sorry about my ass is the fact it’s failed to gain your attention.”
Confident my lack of flirty moves was made up for by my sassy tongue, I peel out of his car. It could be hope making me hear things, but I swear Elvis murmurs, “Your fine ass was the first thing I noticed about you,” before he begins the acrobatic routine it takes for him to leave his car.
“SOBECCA ARRIVEDwith a date in tow but left with Dalton?”
After downing a gulp of his soft drink, Elvis nods.
“No way. How did her date handle it?”
He swallows before locking his eyes with mine. “He didn’t have much choice. Dalton wasn’t leaving without her.”
“That may work in fiction, but that’s not the way things happen in real life.” I drag a napkin over my saucy lips before scanning the room. “If I were interested in the crew-cut,spank my monkey three times a day just to dispel half the testosterone pumping through my bodybrute two booths over, just because you tell him I’m leaving with you, doesn’t mean I have to.”
“Yeah, it does.” I can’t tell if his voice is self-assured or pig-headed. It may be a combination.
Hooking my foot under my bottom, I angle myself closer to Elvis. “But who I go home with isn’t up to you. It’s my decision. If I want to mess the sheets with Dog the Bounty Hunter’s son, that’s my prerogative.”
He dumps his half-empty glass onto the table before leaning his elbows on it. The sauce from the pizzas we’ve shared fans my lips when he asks, “Do you want to smear the sheets with him?”
His sexy scent of pureed tomatoes, garlic, and a manly cologne is messing with my senses because I swear he sounds jealous right now. I shake my head to rid it of my stupid thoughts. The past two hours have been awesome; we’ve talked like lifetime friends, shared two whole pizzas, and he gave me an update on how he and Dalton met before he “forced” Dalton to work up the courage to approach Becca.
It’s been amazing, but our time together has also revealed how rusty my dating skills are. Not only have I continually misread Elvis’s comments as flirty one-liners, but I’ve taken the occasional brush of his thigh against mine as a signal he wants to play Naked Twister with me beneath the sheets. I know that isn’t the case. I couldn’t compete for his attention on my best day, much less against all the attention he’s attracted tonight. Even with him requesting that we be seated in the far back corner of the restaurant, he’s gained many admiring glances.
I’m not even angry. Elvis is too handsome not to encourage a second look. I’m just grateful I don’t have to strain my eyes to drink in all his features. It’s not often I say I’m lucky, but I am tonight because I have the best seat in town.
The silly thoughts in my head shift to naughty ones when Elvis’s deep growl rolls through my core. “Willow?”
When I peer at him, shocked by the anger drawing his dark brows together, the conversation we were having only seconds ago smacks back into me.
We’re discussing women’s rights, not my womanly needs.
“No, I don’t want to sleep with him, but that’s not the point. If Iwantedto sleep with him, Icouldsleep with him, and there’s nothing you could do about it.”
The thick stubble on Elvis’s top lip digs into his nose when he twists his lips. “That’s true.”
