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“Why?” He wasn’t about to get into another argument over her paying for shit.
“It’ll determine how guilty I feel when I throw them away.”
He chuckled. “Toss them in the back of your closet and forget about them until you decide you’re ready to give them another try.”
She mumbled something indecipherable—probably cursing him and the shoes—but then she said, “Fine.”
When they pulled up in front of her apartment, she hesitated. Gage knew in an instant what her problem was when she shot a dirty look at the heels.
“Stay there.” He walked around the front of his Audi and opened the passenger door. Penny started—reluctantly—to put the heels back on.
“No.” He stopped her, reaching down and tugging her out of the car. Before she read his intent, he bent down, tossing her over his shoulder fireman style.
“What the fuck?”
He closed the car door and carried her to her apartment that way. Spinning when they reached the entry, he turned his back so she could enter the building code upside down, giggling the entire time.
Once they were inside, she tapped on his ass. “You can put me down now, you lunatic. This dress is so short, I’ve probably just mooned the whole neighborhood.”
The apartment building was carpeted, clean, and well-maintained, so he helped her slide back to her feet. Then he took her hand and the two of them walked to the elevator.
“You don’t have to come all the way up,” she said, even as the elevator doors slid shut.
“I know.” They disembarked on the third floor, and he walked her to her door.
“Want to come in?” she asked. “It’s still kind of early.”
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
She tossed the shoes by the door and set her clutch on a table, walking toward the kitchen. “Want a drink? I think I have some beer or a bottle of Chardonnay.”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having,” he said, walking into the living room, looking around. He’d only been here a few minutes yesterday when they’d carried in all the clothes they’d bought, so he hadn’t taken in much.
The apartment fit her. It was clean but not exactly tidy. There were a couple pairs of shoes near the couch, where she’d obviously slipped them off after work. There was an empty glass on a coaster next to a pile of remotes and game controllers on the end table. Her Nintendo Switch was on the coffee table, along with an empty Chinese container. He grinned when he spotted part of a bra peeking beneath a chair. She struck him as one of those women whose first order of business after getting home from work was stripping off the bra immediately.
Penny came back in with a couple glasses of wine. He took one from her and tapped it against hers before taking a sip.
“How are your feet?” he asked.
She grinned. “A little better, but I think it’ll take some time for them to forgive me. I’m going barefoot for the rest of the weekend, just to make it up to them.”
“So what did you think of the club?”
She shrugged. “It was pretty much what I expected. Bit of a meat market, right?”
“Oh yeah,” he agreed.
“It’s a shame no one really dances. That would make it a lot more fun.”
“You’re missing the point of the bump and grind,” Gage said. “It’s not about having fun. It’s about hooking up.”
“I guess. It’s just…I like to dance. Might sound silly, but I dance a lot around the apartment. I thought tonight…well…whatever.”
Gage was amused by her disappointed tone. She looked like a kid who’d had their favorite toy taken away.
“Put some dance music on,” he said.
She gave him a funny look but then hit some buttons on her phone, hooking the Bluetooth to her speakers. She scrolled through a list of songs until she found one with a great beat. Then she turned to face him and rolled her eyes as if bored, while bouncing in place, her arms stiff by her sides.
