“Fine,” I said. “Hypothetically. If I wanted pizza.”
“Excellent,” he said immediately. “From anywhere you want.”
I smiled, already planning the trap. “Even if the pizza I want can only be found in Brooklyn?”
There it was—the hesitation I expected. But instead of being defeated by it, he said, “Absolutely.”
I blinked. “You didn’t even ask where.”
“I don’t need to,” he replied. “Brooklyn pizza people always say that like it’s a test.”
“It is a test.”
“And I passed.” Confidence wreathed those three words. No doubt existed within him.
I pulled my legs into a criss cross on the bed. “Do you have any idea how long that would take?”
“Yes,” he said cheerfully. “Which is why I’m going to need you to stay up late enough for me to get there and back.”
“That’s a big ask.”
“Well,” he added, casual but precise, “unless you want to come with me.”
I scoffed. “You just met me.”
“Yet,” he said, his voice dropping to the silkiest of whispers, “you’re still on the phone.”
I opened my mouth to argue and found myself… stalled.
“Let me guess,” he went on, resuming his normal volume, and his rich baritone stroked over me like a caress. “You’re about to tell me this is a bad idea.”
“I was.”
“And that you don’t do things like this.”
Correct. “Hmm-hmm.”
“And that I’m reckless, arrogant, and entirely too confident for my own good.”
Also correct, but I didn’t give him a verbal cue on that one. He paused just long enough for the corner of my mouth to lift.
“Still,” he said, “you’re wondering what it would be like.”
A shudder danced down my spine and my nipples went taut. Because I had absolutely been wondering just that. Rather than make that telling confession. I exhaled slowly. “You’re very sure of yourself.”
“I’m very interested in you,” he corrected. “There’s a difference.”
I sat up fully now, abandoning the miserable slice of pizza to the garbage can. It was dead anyway. “You realize I could hang up.”
“You could,” he agreed. “But then you’d still be hungry. And curious.”
Silence stretched between us, charged and dangerous and entirely my fault.
“You’re persistent,” I said finally.
“Only when something’s worth it.”
I closed my eyes for half a second, then sighed. “If—and this is a big if—you’re bringing pizza from Brooklyn, you’d better not show up with something mediocre.”
