Page 5 of After Care

“Maybe,” he murmured before stepping closer. The assault of the air conditioning disappeared the moment his body came near mine. Heat emanated from his presence. “Why did you leave?”

“It wasn’t my thing,” I repeated.

“And what is your thing?” His arms crossed, glaring at me as our eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. I wasn’t about to tell him my thing was a good book and maybe a rerun on Passionflix. Reading passed the hours, filling my heart with adventures I’d never experience. I was good alone, even if I didn’t always like it. Lonely most nights, but it wasn’t something you spilled to a stranger.

I crossed my arms to match his stance. “What do you think is my thing?”

“Do you always answer a question with another question?”

“Why?”

“See, you did it again.” The hint of a smile filled his statement, and I relaxed my shoulders. I reached for my head, then tried to disguise the nervous habit by twisting a too-short piece of hair around my index finger.

“I would have danced with you,” he said, as if he’d do it for my sake—do me the favor. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, hackles bristling like a dog ready to bite.

“Well, thank you for that generous offer, but as I said, I don’t dance.” My hand lowered from my hair and fisted at my side.

“Why not?”

“Why does it matter?”

“You did it again.” He chuckled, and I huffed. I hadn’t noticed the habit, but with my previous condition, asking questions was a necessity.

“It’s still early. Let me guess where you were headed.” He paused, considering me for a moment, like he did when he was trying to figure out what wine I drank. He scratched at his neck, something I found strangely seductive, and a spark flickered inside me. “Clandestine rendezvous with someone?”

“No.” I laughed, thinking he was more capable of such a thing than me.

“Off to read the latest mystery thriller?”

“No,” I scoffed, trembling. He was getting closer to the truth.

“That leaves washing your hair or a good time with Mr. Bob.” He motioned toward my lower regions.

“What?” I barked, but he ignored me and continued.

“Or are you going to call your cats at home, check up on how they’re doing?”

“Thank you for making me feel even older than I already feel about myself.” My eyes narrowed. I didn’t own cats. I didn’t even like cats. And none of this was the point.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” His arms uncrossed, and he stepped toward me. Our chests rose and fell in opposing rhythm, until slowly, our breathing regulated, falling into a pattern with one another, but I couldn’t say who followed whose lead.

“I saw that girl leaning on you,” I snapped, shifting the conversation completely and sounding like a jealous girlfriend, but I couldn’t be jealous, not really. “I get that you’re used to younger things.”

His dark eyes widened in disbelief, then narrowed to black slits. “You know, darlin’, jealousy is an ugly shade of green, but on you, the color is beautiful.”

I straightened. Was there a compliment in that statement?

“You know what your problem is, though?” A hand came to my hip, and I should have swatted it away. Any sane women would have done that. Any woman trapped in a dark ballroom, standing too close to a stranger whose body heat was higher than ninety-eight-point-six degrees would have pushed him away. But he made me want to be a little crazy. Maybe the treatment had damaged my brain cells after all.

“Please, enlighten me,” I bit out, wanting to cross my arms as a shield, but he stood too close. My hip was tugged forward.

“You need to be sexed up, and often.” His voice lowered, his tone dropping like pebbles plopping into a pond.

“Did you…Did you just try to quote Gone with the Wind?” I stammered, appalled that he’d ruined one of the greatest quotes of all time, but thrilled at the same time, that he misquoted it on me. Flutters rushed through my lower abdomen in a way I hadn’t felt in a long, long, long time. His eyes sparkled and another thought occurred.

“Sexed up?” I choke-barked.

“I’d use a different word, but I’m sensing you’re too much of a lady, and you’d be offended by it.”