The Dating Experiment (The Experiment, #2)(12)

“Well, I’ve known Dom my entire life. He’s my best friend’s brother—she actually runs our sister hook-up site.”

He half-choked on his beer. “Pick-A-Dick?”

I quirked a brow, barely able to hide my smile. “Familiar with it, are you?”

His eyes widened. “Not me—I mean, yes, but I haven’t used it personally. A friend signed up. That’s actually how I found Stupid Cupid. Your sites are linked, aren’t they?”

Nodding slowly, I cupped my wine glass. “Sometimes, we get people come to us who don’t want anything serious, and sometimes Peyton gets people who want something serious. It’s easy to refer since we share the same office building.”

“That makes perfect sense. So, you started this with her brother?”

“Yep. Well, actually we’re all in business together, but since it’s split, Peyton holds half because she runs Pick-A-Dick alone.” I paused. “But we technically see more people because there are two of us. As for how it started… I was kind of lost, and when Peyton got the idea for her site, Dom brought up the idea of a sister dating site, but he couldn’t do it alone. I happened to be there when the conversation happened, and that’s that.”

“Fascinating. Do you work well together?”

“We work together incredibly well, but we don’t exactly get along.”

His eyes twinkled. “Yet, he set you up.”

“We kind of made a pact,” I said slowly, twirling my glass. “We both set each other up.”

“Were you worried he would screw you?”

“A little,” I admitted. “I wouldn’t put it past him.”

Warren raised an eyebrow. “Did he screw you?”

I blushed lightly, briefly dropping my gaze.

No, he hadn’t. Warren was handsome and polite. He was beyond attractive, and we had a lot in common from the conversations we’d had so far. Dom hadn’t screwed me; he’d actually done well.

And I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about that.

“No,” I said with a slow smile, still fiddling with my glass. “He didn’t.”

A grin broke across his face. “That’s what I was hoping to hear.”

Another blush tickled at my cheeks.

What did I say to that?

Why was I so

awkward?

“That’s, um, good?” I said, half asking him.

His grin didn’t waver. “So, I guess the question is: are we having a second date?”

“Do you want a second date?” I couldn’t help my own smile as it tugged my lips up.

“I would love a second date.”

“I think I can fit you in,” I teased, tucking my hair behind my ear.

Warren’s eyes sparkled. “Perfect.” He checked his watch. “I actually have to put an end to tonight—I have a red-eye flight tomorrow for work. Do you mind?”

I checked my own watch for the time. It was nine-thirty—not exactly early for a dinner date. “Not at all. I have an early appointment tomorrow myself.”

We shared a smile, and he signaled for the check. It was brought straight over, and he picked it up before I could even steal a glance at it.

“How much?” I asked, reaching for my purse to get my wallet.

“I’ve got it,” he said, opening his own wallet and pulling out some cash.

“At least let me cover the tip.”

He shook his head. “Absolutely not. I couldn’t sleep tonight if I knew I’d let you pay for anything.”

“Okay, but the second date is on me. And no, that’s not up for discussion.”

He put the money on the little silver tray with a half-smirk in my direction. “That’s fair. Do you mind if I use the bathroom before we leave?”

“Not at all. I’ll wait.” I smiled.

He slid his chair back and used the table as leverage to stand, revealing his tall, firmly-built frame. His broad shoulders blocked out the light of hanging bulb behind him for the brief second until he moved.

My eyes flitted to his back as he left. His light-blue shirt hugged his upper body to perfection, and it was tucked into navy pants, ones that hugged a peachy ass and were perfectly pressed down to his ankles. Shiny, dark brown shoes looked as if they squeaked against the polished, hardwood floors.

I stared until he disappeared. I caught Dom’s eyes as I looked away from the restroom door, and he raised one eyebrow.

My cheeks burned.

Why the hell was I blushing? I didn’t need a reason to be checking Warren out. The guy was incredibly good looking and had a body that looked as though it was worth every inch of my ogling.

Plus, he’d known what he looked like when he set us up. He had to know he was ogle-worthy.

My phone buzzed in my purse. I extracted it from the depths of my Coach purse and unlocked it. A text from Dom was flashing on the screen, and with a frown, I opened it.



Dom: Are you on a date or casting for a porn movie?



That was a bit freaking rich.



Me: Why don’t you focus on your own date instead of what I’m doing on mine?



He actually looked up from his table and glared at me. I shrugged a shoulder and, with a quirk of my eyebrow, shot him a, “So, what?” look, complete with a stony curl of my lips.