Do You Take This Man (78)
“No,” I said, pulling it back from her.
“It’s fine,” she said, gripping it more firmly.
I countered her force, sure the children at the next table were wondering why two adults were playing tug-of-war over waffles. “Will you let go?”
“Will you?” Her eyes flashed, meeting mine and staying there.
Why am I fighting with her for this? The envelope wasn’t large, and our fingers butted against each other, threatening to rip the paper in half. I softened my voice but didn’t ease my grip. “RJ, I want it.”
“Are you sure?” Her voice also lowered, the smoky quality I knew from other contexts coming into it. She also did not relax her grip.
“Why would I tell you if I wasn’t?” And why does the fact that she won’t let go make me want to jump over this table and kiss her?
RJ finally relaxed her fingers, and the force of my grip brought the envelope to the table in front of me.
“Thank you.” I hadn’t actually been sure I wanted it. I could have looked on Sarah’s social media anytime and found out, but I hadn’t. I’d blocked her and anyone connected to her, leaving my digital social life as dismal as my actual social life. I looked at the envelope, aware of RJ’s gaze on me. Her lips were pursed and pulled to the side, like she was considering snatching the envelope up again. “I know it’s stupid that this one thing bugs me so much,” I said, folding the envelope and tucking it into my pocket. “I appreciate you finding out. I’ll look later.”
She let her eyes drift away from me, and her posture stiffened, her fingers twitching like she didn’t know what to do with her hands. “It didn’t take a lot of work, but, I’m glad it’s . . . rather, I hope . . .”
“Hope that I forget you did this kind thing and don’t bring it up again?”
“Exactly.”
I brought a forkful of waffle to my mouth, saying “Okay” through the bite. Her shoulders relaxed before she took her own bite. With the scent of syrup teasing my nose and the comfortable silence between us, I was overtaken, once again, by the urge to kiss her.
RJ checked the time on the clock over my head, and my chest tightened at the idea of not spending more time with her. I asked, “What are you doing the rest of the day?”
“Not much. I should stop at the office for a few minutes. Why?”
I drank the last of my orange juice, knowing I wasn’t going to make more of a dent in the stack of waffles. I wanted more time with RJ, and I didn’t want to go back to the empty basement. “We could hang out, if you want. Go see a movie, or find some game to play where I can have a chance at redemption.”
“Bring it on. There’s no game in existence where you could best me.”
I’d smiled more today than I’d thought possible. “So cocky.”
“So confident. There’s a difference.”
“Yeah,” I said, reaching for my wallet. “I guess there is.”
Chapter 41
RJ
THE BOWLING ALLEY smelled like popcorn and wood polish, and the hits of the 1980s and 1990s flowed from the overhead speakers. I’d been surprised when Lear asked to spend the day together, and even more surprised when I agreed. After we both had time to shower, he’d picked me up, and I grinned but didn’t say anything when the cast recording for a musical played through his speakers. Well, I didn’t say anything for a few minutes, which showed a great deal of restraint on my part since he was humming along with a song from My Fair Lady when I buckled my seatbelt.
I bent to test the weight of the different bowling balls on the rack, lifting them to see which was best, and felt his eyes on me. “Are you staring at my ass?”
“Yeah.” He said it casually, and I glanced over my shoulder to see him at the rack next to mine. “You have a perfect ass.”
“Oh?” I wiggled a little.
“It’s not like you don’t know,” he said with a low chuckle I felt deep inside. “Did you take me bowling to seduce me, Ms. Brooks?”
“Seduce you?” I held up a purple ball, checking out the swirl of glitter as I turned it. “That implies you need tempting.”
Lear chose his own ball but didn’t step toward our lane. Instead, he moved his lips near my ear. “So you’re not trying to seduce me?”
His whisper in my ear made butterflies flutter in my stomach in the most comfortable way I’d ever been uncomfortable with. For a second, I lost myself and considered sinking against him, because it was kind of sexy, but it was familiar, too. I took a small step back, because we were in a bowling alley and not a dark corner. “If I wanted you, I could have you anytime and anywhere, and we both know it. My only goal today is to provide you with another embarrassing loss.”
His lips grazed my ear, and his fingers brushed my lower back before he whispered again. “Will you seduce me if I win?”
My face heated, but I shook it off. Not even Lear was worth attempting a sexual encounter in this bowling alley’s bathroom. The idea of negotiating a prize was tempting, though. I stepped back and placed my hand on his chest, meeting his eyes and willing my heart to stop whatever it was spinning. “I’ve never thought about the possibility of you winning.” I pushed him gently and strode toward the ball return for our lane. When I looked over my shoulder, he hadn’t moved, but he grinned. “But on the off chance that happens, maybe.”