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They’d had a jam-packed day, riding bikes along the river and going to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, where they talked about everything and anything. It had been easy, fun, energizing. She hadn’t done anything spontaneous like that in forever. Longer than she could remember. After a delicious dinner from a taco food truck, Liam had suggested the arcade, where he was now beating her at a variety of video games.
“This isn’t fair!” she said, giving up and stepping away from the machine as her game ended. “You’re Gen X. You know all these games. I don’t know what I’m doing.” He had just destroyed her at Pac Man.
“Don’t give me that excuse. I haven’t played this game in twenty years. Hell. Thirty years.” But he did look contrite. “We can leave though if you like. We can find something millennial-ish to do.”
That made her give him a look, curious what he thought that would entail. “What exactly would that be?”
“I don’t know. We can go buy some artisanal bread or something.”
She laughed. “Wow. Just wow.”
He laughed. “I’m kidding. I have the utmost respect for your generation and your ability to create jobs doing what you love. I’m serious. I think that’s fucking cool.”
“It is fucking cool. It’s not me, though. I’m content working for the man.” She yawned, covering her mouth.
“That’s cool too, then. What isn’t cool is that I’m boring you.”
“I’m not bored. I’m having a great time. I’m tired.” She was amazed at the energy he still appeared to have. “How are you not tired?”
Liam finished his beer. “Gen X determination to never grow up. It keeps me young.” He tossed his plastic cup in the trash. “Should we take you to bed?”
He clearly didn’t mean that to sound suggestive, but her head, and her inner thighs, went straight there. If they went back to the room she was going to lie stiff as a board next to him in bed wondering why she was feeling all sorts of strange things. No, thanks. She bent over to scratch her ankle, only to realize it was her new tattoo causing the itching sensation. She yanked her hand back before she touched it. A tattoo. She’d gotten a tattoo.
She didn’t regret it at all, that was the crazy thing. She was having a fantastic day.
Liam drew something out of her she had forgotten existed.
“No, I don’t want to go to bed yet. What else do you have up your sleeve besides buying bread?”
“There is something I saw online that looked interesting.”
That made her nervous. “Does it involve more dancing?” she asked.
“No. It involves a great view of the city. You’re not afraid of water, are you?”
She shook her head. “No, not at all.”
Twenty minutes later she stared at the city sprawled in front of her as they chugged down the river on a tour cruise. She’d forgotten how magical cities could be with all the twinkling lights, especially reflecting on the water. “I love living in Beaver Bend, but I’m happy we made this trip. This is beautiful.”
“Very beautiful.” He murmured something else that she didn’t hear.
Something about his voice made her turn away from the view and at him. He was looking at her, not the skyline. His expression was serious, intense. Her breath caught in her throat. She knew that look. She might not have seen it in awhile, but she could recognize lust on a man’s face when she saw it.
Uncertain how to feel or react, she turned away again, heart thumping in her chest.
Bang without guilt.
The words popped into her head again, but she shoved them aside. She wanted to just enjoy the gentle summer breeze, the smell of the water, and the city lights. The tour guide was talking about architecture, but she wasn’t really focused on his words. She was more attuned to the fact that Liam had put his arm on the seat behind her neck and shoulders.
She wasn’t sure when or how she had suddenly found herself attracted to Liam, but there was denying it.
And it seemed like he was feeling the same way.
The question was, what the hell did they do, if anything, about it?
He leaned in and murmured close to her ear. “Did you catch that?”
“What?” She turned and realized immediately her mistake. Their faces were mere inches apart. His eyes swept over her mouth.
