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Lars’s frown amped up to a scowl. “Wait. So you are attracted to him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Susie, I need an answer.” He got all up in my face. His expression somewhere between confusion and rage. “Yes or no? Are you going to go out with Austin or not?”
“Um, well...”
Guess my hesitation was the last straw for him. Because he made a growling noise and slammed his mouth down on mine. Warm firm lips pressed hard against me and there they stayed for one seemingly endless moment. Truthfully, it seemed like less of a kiss and more like an act of desperation. There wasn’t really any passion in it. Not of the normal variety.
When Lars drew back, his gaze was both wary and worried.
Meanwhile, my eyes felt as wide as the moon. My heart hammered inside my chest. If his intention had been to distract me from the cat-pee problem, he certainly managed that.
His fingers untangled themselves from my hair and he took a step back. Then he opened his mouth and closed it and opened it again. Finally he said, “Shit.”
“Did you just get jealous, panic, and kiss me?”
“Yes.”
“Is that something you normally do?”
His brows drew down. “No.”
“No,” I agreed.
With a groan, he deposited himself on the couch. His hands covered his face while his elbows rested on his knees. The pose of a man in much anguish. No. A confused modern male confronted with his feelings. One of those. As for me, I loved having his mouth on mine. Even if the kiss could use some work.
“It felt impromptu,” I said. “Not to be harsh.”
He dropped his hands and looked up at me with extreme consternation. As if I were dancing on his last damn nerve. The man certainly knew how to return the favor. With a shake of his head, he pulled out his cell to fire off a text. “We should get Tore to talk to Austin and see what’s up about the guitar.”
“I don’t know how I feel about that.”
His gaze was serious. “Tore’s known Austin since they were kids. I trust my brother. I promise you he will only help. Please let us do this for you.”
“Okay,” I said. “But tell him to be subtle. I don’t want Austin to feel like he’s being pressured. We do not want to exacerbate the situation.”
A nod from Lars as his thumbs moved across the screen.
“Guess if I have to take out a small loan it won’t be the end of the world. It’ll set me back for a while, but hey...if I can handle college fees I can certainly handle this.” I rubbed my hands against the sides of my wide-legged cropped jeans. “And my reputation is solid. My clients know and trust me. I mean, this is all just a somewhat amusing horrible thing that happened. Not the end of the world.”
“That’s right. Everything is going to be okay.” His phone chimed and he read the text. “Tore said he and Cleo will stop by Austin’s show tonight. And they’ll be subtle. But he’s known the guy since he was fourteen and he really doesn’t think you’re in any trouble.”
“Either way, I have a backup plan now. I feel better.” And if I just kept saying it, it would definitely come true.
“Good.” His brows wrinkled. “Susie—”
“You kissed me.”
“I know.”
“Guess we should talk about that.”
He dropped his head. “Fuck.”
I got comfortable in the wingback chair opposite him. Because odds were, his retreat from this situation would be legendary. The backpedaling of the century. Such shame. Much regret. I definitely needed a front row seat for the show.
But then he looked up at me and said, “We’re inevitable.”
“We’re what?”
“You and me, we’re inevitable.” His hands were held open and his expression was resigned. There was no lie in those blue eyes. Just acceptance. Like he didn’t love the idea, but there was no escaping it. Which was actually less of a compliment than you’d think. The big idiot.
“Is this about the divorce certificate?” I asked.
“It’s about all of it.”
“Please explain.”
“I’m attracted to you. You’re attracted to me. Obviously, you enjoy my company or we wouldn’t keep winding up having these truly baffling conversations. And I honestly can’t wait to hear what the hell is going to come out of your mouth next.”
I just blinked.
“We’ve both had multiple opportunities to walk away from this and neither of us have. We’re inevitable.”
“Yes,” I said. “You keep saying that. But what does it mean exactly when those words come out of your mouth?”
“I even tried to put some distance between us by dating other women.”
I gasped. “You said that wasn’t what you were doing.”
“I lied.”
“Well, of course. I knew it was bullshit. I didn’t realize you did too. That’s a level of awareness I don’t often ascribe to the male species,” I said. “It’s just...this is really not the direction I thought you’d take.”
