For a while, I don’t think she’s going to respond. Instead, her forlorn frown studies her hands, where she’s clasped them in her lap. Opening her palms, she spreads them wide, appearing, for the first time since I met her, young and vulnerable. “It’s because I’m scared.”
“Of what?” My words come out above a whisper.
“Of everything.”
I pause. “Well, that’s horseshit.”
Surprised laughter bursts from her lips. “You’re ridiculous,” she says, shaking her blonde hair. “And kind of an ass.”
“You’ll get used to it.”
And when she does, she’ll like it.
I’ll be the first one to admit I’m actually enjoying myself on this non-date. Of course, I won’t be admitting that to anyone out loud anytime soon. Or in writing.
Well, okay—maybe in writing. After all, I still need a storyline for my second book, and Collin makes the perfect muse for the hero: strong, handsome, charming…
Tenacious. Disarming. Alluring.
I sip this disgusting beer and sigh, watching him retreat to the men’s room, my rapt gaze trailing after and landing on his tight, firm, denim-clad ass. He’s been incredibly attentive, respectful (sort of, for the most part), and funny. Intelligent. Not to mention really, really ridiculously good looking.
Crap.
Now I sound like freaking Derek Zoolander.
And I mentioned he’s funny, right? It’s a pretty lethal combination, and if he weren’t Greyson’s brother… and I hadn’t acted like a complete bitch when we first met, well…
There might be a slight chance I’d date him.
Oh, who am I trying to kid? I’d date the shit out of him in a heartbeat because nice, funny, respectful guys aren’t easy to find. In fact, they’ve become more of an urban legend than a reality.
However, the fact remains: he is Grey’s brother, and for whatever reason, I find the thought of dating him a bit strange. Weird. Creepy, even.
For me, it feels like fishing for a boyfriend in the family pond.
You just don’t do it.
I give myself a pep talk, reminding myself to quit gushing. This thing with Collin Keller is not happening...
I will say this though: he’s going to be hard to resist.
Fortunately, I deal with impossible, sometimes arrogant, men at work on a daily basis, so his persistence should be a piece of cake.
Theoretically.
I’ll just enjoy his company tonight, and in the future we can causally bump into each other at family functions. This attraction thing is no big deal; I can handle it. I am a fortress of feminine willpower. I’ve taken all the feminist classes in college. Women’s Studies. How to be an Independent Woman 101.
I’ll plop Collin deftly into the Friend Zone category, right where he belongs, and that will be that.
It won’t be weird at all.
Yup, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself.
The waiter comes with our food and refills while Collin is in the bathroom, and to busy myself, I prep my burger, adding the garnishes and extra pickles. Dipping the burger in ketchup, I take a huge bite and chew.
It’s so delicious I actually whimper into my next bite.
My thoughts stray to Collin, and I shake my head. Get a grip, Tabitha. He is not the guy for you. If you get close to him, the carefully erected wall you built will come crashing down around you…
I’m so committed to not falling under his spell, I avoid looking directly at him when he re-approaches the booth and drops himself down with a cheeky grin. A grin full of white teeth. I don’t look away quick enough and can’t help but notice one of his bottom teeth is just a tad bit crooked.
Irresistible.
So irresistible that my stomach does that fluttering thing again, followed by my annoying, rapidly beating heart.
Sweaty palms.
A nervous giggle, and I slap a palm over my mouth, horrified. My traitorous body apparently belongs to a hormonal teenage girl.
It has terrible timing.
B lare twisted a lock of her brown hair and regarded Adam from across the booth, her eyes riveted on his full lips and five o’clock shadow. His words sent shivers down her spine every time he opened his mouth to talk—a mouth she wanted all over her body. Of course, she couldn’t admit this out loud—not until she knew how he really felt. He smiled again and laid his palms flat on the table. “Stop teasing me,” Blare said, giving her brunette locks an agitated shake, her silky hair floating around her shoulders in waves. “You’re trying to bait me into an argument, Adam, and it won’t work.”
“Bait you? What the hell does that even mean?” The dawning of realization sets in and Adam laughs, rich and deep and throaty. A laugh that makes Blare want to climb across the table on all fours and straddle his lap. “Ah, a word from one of those slutty romances you’re always reading. I like it.” He winks at her and she drops her head onto the tabletop with a loud thump, letting out a groan. How humiliating. “Oh my god.”
To: CollinKell59@ztindustries.corp
From: tabtomcat@tthompsoninc.gm
Subject: Thank you. Again.
Collin, thank you for bringing my book back, and for dinner last night. I’m sorry the check ripped in half when I grabbed it, trying to split the bill with you. If I’d known you had the world’s strongest vise grip, I wouldn’t have bothered. Tabitha
To: tabtomcat@tthompsoninc.gm
From: CollinKell59@ztindustries.corp
Subject: You’re welcome. Again.
Tabitha, don’t worry about it. I’m sure the waiter enjoyed taping the whole thing back together after we left. Know what he probably enjoyed even more? Seeing you slap my hand away when I tried helping you out of the booth. The expression on his face was priceless.
CK
To: CollinKell59@ztindustries.corp
From: tabtomcat@tthompsoninc.gm
Subject: Helped me out of the booth?
I think you’re remembering it wrong. You weren’t trying to HELP me out of the booth. You were trying to touch my ass—the SAME ass you called BONY only two weeks prior. Now what do you have to say for yourself? Tabitha
To: tabtomcat@tthompsoninc.gm
From: CollinKell59@ztindustries.corp
Subject: Your ass?
I’ll admit, I was hasty in my judgment of your ASSets. Your rear is in no way bony. Especially in those black yoga pants you had on last night. I realize it was your attempt to appear dowdy and less attractive, but you failed miserably. Those pants did nothing but showcase your second best feature.
CK
Collin: You’re adorable when you’re nervous.
Tabitha: What are you talking about? When was I nervous?
Collin: I’m thinking about dinner the other night, when I came back from the bathroom. When you tried to mask your laugh. You shouldn’t have covered it up.
Tabitha: I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.
Collin: What things?
Tabitha: Charming things that make me question my resolve.
Collin: You’re thinking way too much. Why can’t you just act like a big girl and do what you want? Or better yet, act like a guy and straight up don’t give a shit.