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“Okay.”
“Now back to this movie. What is your movie-watching snack? Popcorn? Candy?”
“Nice segue. Honestly, it’s chips.”
“Chips?”
“I mean, if I’m at a movie theater, then of course I’m going to go for the greasy buttered popcorn and a box of Nestle Buncha Crunch.”
“Nice combo. Salty and sweet.”
“Exactly. But if I’m at home—and especially if I’m about to start or am on my period—I want Lay’s Wavy Hickory BBQ potato chips.”
“That’s very particular, but I appreciate a woman who knows what she likes.”
“I could eat an entire bag in one sitting easily. What about you?”
“Well, if it’s the season, I try to keep it healthy. I’ll eat some diced-up watermelon, cubed pineapple, or frozen grapes.”
“That sounds way too healthy.”
“But if I’m allowing myself to indulge, I want chocolate-covered raisins or a Milky Way.”
“Oh, now you’re speaking my language. Those are two of my favorites as well.”
“Nice to know that movie snacks aren’t something that will derail our relationship.”
* * *
“What’s something you wish you had more time to do?”
I’m now lying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling while my phone rests on my chest with Maddox on speaker. “Why do you ask these questions that seem so simple but really aren’t?”
“The best questions are. I want to knowyou,Penelope, not just the surface stuff about you. And I want to see if I can get some ideas on how to make you fall in love with me.” There’s a teasing lilt to his voice, but the mention of love makes my heart rate pick up.
God, he makes me want to tell him everything, which is part of the problem anyway. Letting him in means risking being hurt again.
I fidget with the bottom of my shirt while dragging out my answer. “Easy, tiger, with the use of the l-word.”
He laughs. “Yeah. Sorry. But tell me.”
I let out a sigh. “Honestly, I wish I spent more time outside or at least made more of an effort to do so. You would think that living in southern California, I would make more time to visit the ocean or the mountains, but I’m always working or being there for my friends because those girls are like my family. And I haven’t hiked since college, but that’s something I also truly enjoy.”
“So are you saying you don’t mind getting a little dirty?”
The suggestive tone of his voice makes my body heat up and warmth spread to my core. “I think you already know the answer to that question, Mr. Taylor.”
“God, woman, you’re killing me.”
I rub my thighs together, trying to ease the ache. “You started it. Now it’s your turn, Maddox. Answer the question.”
“Aw, well, that’s easy. I wish I had more time to spend with my cousin and her kids.”
“I swear, if you have a list of answers to questions that are designed to make me swoon, I’m going to be pissed.”
“Aw, you’re swooning for me, Pen?”
“How are you still single?”
