“Hmm?”
Snickering, she sets the plates on the counter and braces her hands on the edge as she stares at me. “You’ve gotten really comfortable staring at my ass already.”
“It’s a really great ass,” I admit, shoving my hands into the front pockets of my jeans.
“Be that as it may,” she draws out, scooping chicken and vegetables for each of us before covering both with a cream sauce, “I kissed you and I liked it, Lake. It wasn’t because of the wedding or letting loose or anything else you want to call it. I want to do it again.”
I swallow hard. What the hell had Pen and my sister talked about today?
“I liked kissing you too. I just…” I rub my palm over my jaw. “What are we talking about here?” She opens her mouth and then closes it, her teeth worrying her bottom lip. “Because I’ll be honest, my father’s excavator is gonna get a lot of use if we hook up and then you decide you want to see other people.”
“That’s kinda hot,” she muses, cutting a bite of her chicken and slipping it into her mouth as we stand adjacent to each other at the island.
“And I’m not even joking.” Her lips wrap around the fork anddamnis that hot. Her eyes sparkle like she knows what I’m thinking.
“I don’t want to hook up with you, Lake. I don’t think I can. It was easier to not be consumed by who you were out with when I was with Carter, but I won’t be able to sit around and watch you date other women.”
“So what does that mean? You want to jump straight into being in a relationship? I’m no expert, but I think you’re supposed to take time to process the last one before you start a new one.”
She rolls her eyes as I shove an oversized bite into my mouth. Oma definitely gave her a winner with this one. The sauce is rich and has the perfect kick to it, and if this is supposed to be a seduction tactic, it’s working.
“Normally I’d agree,”—Pen twirls her fork at me—“but we’re adults, Lake.”
“Barely.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
“Lake,” she growls, and it’s adorable, her eyes narrowing when I can’t hide my amusement. “Do you want to date other people?”
“No.”
“Then why are we gonna act like this,” she says, waving her hands between us, “isn’t something that’s been on the back burner since we were teenagers? You never asked me out and now here we are ten years later because Carter Hanes did.”
“So it’s my fault?”
“I said what I said.”
I open my mouth to argue but I can’t. Carter beat me to the punch, and I lost a decade with my girl.
“Have I mentioned how much of a douche that guy is?”
“You might have mentioned it.”
“I tried hard not to. You deserved the support.”
“I know.”
“And you’re gonna go back to Bozeman?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow. I figure I’ll be gone a couple of days to tie up any loose ends.”
“Are you gonna stay at the condo?” I ask, willing my heart rate to slow as I wait for her answer. It’s all too fast but hell if I want her under the same roof with him.
