Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated #3)(40)
Needing no second invitation, she chowed down on the deep fried mozzarella and the burning sensation began to blessedly recede. “No more wings for me. I’ll stick to these yummy cheese fries. I could eat these all day long and never get tired of them.”
“I love watching you eat. You enjoy every bite. None of this only eating lettuce stuff or bitching about your diet. If you like it, you eat it. Full stop.”
She didn’t mention the time in the gym she was going to have to put in burning this meal off. It would still be totally worth it.
“Can I ask you a question?” She couldn’t help herself. “Why are you dating me? I know you said that you like the fact that I don’t care about your money but surely you’ve dated women who eat. I mean everybody eats, Travis.”
Travis chuckled and scooped up another slice of pizza. “You’d be surprised. I guess I’ve chosen the wrong women through the years.” He gave her a flirtatious wink. “But I’ve fixed that problem. Now I only date gorgeous brunettes who eat cheese fries and drive like Mario Andretti.”
When he made such a persuasive case who was she to argue? She finally pushed her plate away, her stomach pleasantly full. “So are you going to give me another chance to beat you? How about we go head to head playing a video game?”
“What do you mean another chance?” Travis’s brows pulled together. “You won the race, fair and square.”
This was news. “I did? I thought at best we tied and that you probably won. It was really close either way.”
“I think you won. You’re right—it was neck and neck. How about we call that a tie and we play some more to break it? Best two out of three.”
“Fine, but I warn you that I grew up playing video games. My adoptive family had three sons who were addicted to killing zombies.”
Travis flashed that grin again. “I grew up actually shooting things for food. I think I’ll be okay but thanks for the warning. I’ll even let you pick the game.”
It only took a few minutes of surveying her choices before she selected a post-apocalyptic quasi-military game that featured the undead in graphic detail. She was in video game heaven but Travis was as well. They were evenly matched and it was looking like another tie was in the offing. They finally called it and roamed the empty floor looking for their next challenge.
They found it in an air hockey table.
“Man, we had one of these when I was growing up.” Travis’s face was alight with a boyish grin. “I don’t know whatever happened to it. I need to get one of these for the house. What do you say we give this a try?”
“I’ll have you know that I grew up playing air hockey and pool, so don’t think you have the advantage here,” Aubrey warned with a giggle. “I won’t take mercy on you.”
“That makes two of us, kitten. Ladies first.”
She worked up another sweat and the lead kept swinging back and forth until she finally scooped the puck from the table and held it up. “Can we just call it even? I think I’ve had all the fun I can take tonight.”
Travis laughed and came around the table to take the puck from her fingers and toss it back on the table without another look. “I think that’s a good call. When the games are this close it might not be a good idea for either one of us to win. There’s one more thing we need to do tonight but don’t worry—there’s no competition, baby.”
She watched as he stuck his head in the kitchen where the lone female worker had been napping while they played. He strode back to Aubrey with a cocky grin and his arms wide open.
“May I have this dance? We are celebrating, after all.”
The background music was louder and the song playing was a slow ballad by Carrie Underwood. Aubrey slid into Travis’s arms as if she was coming home. Her cheek was pillowed on his chest so she could hear the steady thud of his heart under her ear. His warm and citrusy scent wrapped around her like a downy comforter and she exhaled slowly, letting every muscle in her body relax against his hard frame.
He hummed in response and pulled her closer if that was possible, their feet moving to the slow tempo. Her hands fanned out on the broad muscles of his back as if trying to caress as much of it as she possibly could at one time before sliding to the waistband of his jeans, her fingers hooked into a belt loop.
“Are you disappointed, baby?”
The deep gravel of his voice vibrated against her skin and she looked up to see him regarding her with a tender loving expression that made her heart race and her palms sweat.
“With what? Everything is great, Travis.”
His lips twisted and red streaked his high cheekbones. “Maybe you would have preferred to get dressed up and go somewhere fancy. I was just hoping that this was something different and fun. Something I bet you’ve never done with any other guy. But now I’m thinking that I didn’t really consult you and that you might have wanted to do something very different. Did I blow it tonight? You can tell me the truth. If I did, I promise to make it up to you. Tomorrow night I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
She braced her hands on his biceps and leaned back so she could gaze into his moss green eyes. “This was perfect. I didn’t have to dress up and mind my manners. I got to play games and kick your butt, eat junk food, and now I’m in your arms and dancing with you. I can’t imagine anything better.”