The Game Plan (Game On, #3)(10)

“You drew these?”

He nods, takes a sip of his coffee. “It relaxes me.”

“I like to draw too. Mostly room designs nowadays.”

“You did a great job with the house,” he says, not bothering to look around. I have no doubt he’s already made a study of the entire place.

“Thanks.”

I’d like to think we’re just making chit-chat. That we’re just like any other casual acquaintances who happen to be houseguests at the same time and place. But that’s not what’s happening. Because Dex’s gaze never leaves mine.

It’s unnerving. Hot. As if behind his light conversation, what he’s really saying is, You loved it, didn’t you? Sucking on my tongue, grinding on my cock. You want it again, don’t you?

Heat washes over me, and I struggle not to shift in my seat.

I realize we’ve stopped talking and are simply staring at each other. Every place he didn’t touch last night—every place I want him to touch—is hot and achy.

I take a deep breath. Watch him do the same.

I’m about to bolt when he leans forward, his muscled forearms sliding a bit closer. “Go out with me. On a date.”

“What?” I push back from the table. But I can’t make my legs lift me. “I thought last night was…”

“A mistake?” He slowly shakes his head. “Not for me.”

I know I’m gaping. I can’t seem to stop. “But, but…”

His eyes crinkle. In the full sun, I see that they’re a striking blend of colors—blue, green, gold, and brown—like polished agate. “Speechless?” he says. “I like it.”

My mouth snaps shut. Then promptly opens. “You like me speechless. Well, there’s a great motivator for going out with you.”

“Like that I made you speechless. That I flustered you.” He tilts his head as he looks me over. “You do the same to me. Get me all worked up. Only it seems to make me talk more than usual, not less.”

A fresh wave of heat washes through me.

“Dex—”

“Ethan,” he interjects softly. “Will you call me Ethan? At least some of the time?”

“Ethan,” I say quietly, and it feels intimate. Especially when his lids lower as though I’ve stroked his skin just by saying his name. I swallow hard. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t seem like the hookup type.”

“I’m not.” He clenches his mug again. “I don’t think you really are either.”

“No,” I admit with a small smile. “Not really. I’m looking for more now.”

Dex—Ethan—nods. “Thing is, we’re both here for the week. Ivy and Gray are in no condition to entertain. I like you. A lot. Why don’t we go out together?”

“Erm…that’s not what your proposition sounded like to me. You said on a date.”

His lush lips curl. No, do not look at his mouth. I watch his lips move.

“I did. I want to kiss you again, Fiona. I couldn’t sleep last night because I wanted that so badly.”

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“So, yeah, I said date. Because if you let me, I’m going to kiss you again, as much as I can.”

It’s a struggle to find my voice. “Neither of us is looking for casual. We don’t even live in the same city. I don’t date athletes. Or friends of my sister. Or—”

“Why don’t we start with what you do,” he cuts in, his gaze direct, firm. It lowers to my mouth before sliding back up to my eyes. “Do you want to kiss me again, Fiona?”

Why does he have to say my name that way? As if it’s a dare. And why is he so damn perceptive?

His eyes bore into me. “Did you think about me last night? In your bed?”

No one has ever been so blunt with me. Ever. It does my head in, giving me no place to hide.

“All I’m asking is for the truth,” he says, his big, strong body rock solid in his chair.

Licking my lips, I try to breathe. Truth? I can do truth. It’s not so hard. Right?

“Yes.”

One of his dark brows rises. “Yes to what?”

If I have to elaborate, I might expire on the spot. “Does it matter when the answer is yes?”

He smiles, and it’s like the dawn cresting over the sea. “When it comes to you, Fiona, the answer always matters. But I’ll take that as a yes to all of the above.”

The chair scrapes as he rises, and my heart threatens to pound right out of my chest. But he doesn’t approach me. No, the smug bastard just finishes off his coffee in one gulp and puts the mug in the dishwasher.

He glances at me over his shoulder before he goes. “Can you be ready in an hour?”

“Hello? What about everything that I said?”

He doesn’t blink. “Those are all fears. I respect that. But let’s take things as they come and see what happens. Okay?”

“Okay.” That’s all I manage. This guy makes my head spin. He’s just so reasonable. I don’t have any defense against it. Against him and his damn sexy self. Damn it.

“Good.” He gives me that smile once again. “Dress warmly. It’s cold out today.”

“You’re kind of bossy,” I call after him. “You know that?”