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“Absolutely, and they would definitely be lapping up your affection.”
He heard her sharp intake of breath.
“Uhm…I…Ryker…”
“Easy there, I think we went down too deep of a rabbit hole too fast for an initial phone conversation. I was calling to ask you out on a date."
“You sure do work fast,” Amy continued to whisper.
“This would be our second date. You’ve got to admit, the one we were on in Maryland was a hit. We had a great time together, didn’t we?”
“Well, yeah.”
How was it he could hear the smile in her voice? It sounded like the sun coming out on a gray day.
“I had a great time too, Amy. Let’s do it again.”
“Ryker, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I live here in D.C., you live down in Virginia Beach. That’s at least one hundred and fifty miles away from one another.”
“Two hundred, but who’s counting?”
“See! It’d never work, so why get started?”
“Amy, I’m not suggesting we upend our lives, I want to get to know you. Become friends, and yeah, I won’t lie, maybe more than friends. The only way to know if that kind of thing would work is to go out on another date.”
“It’s too soon.”
Was that panic he was hearing?
“Okay, okay, let’s dial it back a bit.” He hoped she could hear him trying to soothe her. “How about we find out if we have anything in common? Find out if we like one another. We can do that with a couple of phone calls, right?”
“I guess so,” she said slowly.
“And I promise I won’t discuss how much I would enjoy lapping up your affection,” he teased.
“Ryker!” she screeched.
He pictured her face flushing with color.
“What?” he asked innocently, “I promised not to talk about it.”
“You are a big ‘ole flirt, just like Lark warned me. She said that you have tons of girlfriends.”
“Damn, is that what this is about?”
“Well, who wants to be part of a crowd? I’m short, it’s hard to stand out.”
He shouted out with laughter. “That’s good,” he was finally able to say after he stopped laughing. “Amy, we met three weeks ago, and the woman I had been seeing, well she and I parted ways as soon as I got back home. Not only are you not part of a crowd, you aren’t even part of a duet.”
“So what you’re telling me is that you change women like some men change socks, is that it?”
Ryker leaned back in his favorite chair and crossed his ankle over his knee. “Let me get this straight, I’m an asshole if I date multiple women, but I’m an asshole if I arrange it so that I’m only talking to you. Is there any way I can win in this situation?”
He listened to her breathe. He could picture her biting her lip.
“I am kind of being an asshole, aren’t I?”
Ryker relaxed. “No, Honey, you’re not, I think you’re being cautious. I understand that, especially when you’re dealing with someone with a rep.”
