“And I’m dying to eat them again,” he said with a wiggle of his brows. The memories of last night refused to leave his mind’s eye. He’d sucked on her pretty nipples and cupped her, bringing her to orgasm despite herself. That she responded to him so prettily made him feel ten feet tall. And when she’d offered to soothe him as well, he’d forced himself to decline. Being there for her was what he’d intended in the first place, not to seduce her into saying yes too soon.
She flushed. “Oh, stop it.” Then something caught her eye, and she gasped. “Look, Smith. Flowers.” He followed her to the bouquets, not surprised when she bought a tiny bundle for two bucks. She might not be a spendthrift, but she liked beauty. He tucked that away for future reference.
They continued through the marketplace, and he wondered why he hadn’t been down here since he’d returned from Camp Pendleton back in January. But why would he? He wasn’t a shopper and hated crowds. Being here with Erin made all the difference.
“Do you like soccer?” he asked as she looked over a clothing vendor’s wares.
“I like soccer players’ legs,” she admitted with a grin.
He felt a little funny, looking at her and seeing someone who was so much more than a neighbor, friend, or lover. But what, he didn’t know.
“What’s wrong?” she asked him. “I shouldn’t have said that, should I?”
He forced a laugh, wondering why he had to make such a big deal about liking her. She was cool and sexy. So what? “I like you being honest. I was just going to say we should go to a Sounders game. That’s the Seattle soccer team. I love soccer. American football, not so much.”
“Oh, come on. Men in tights and shoulder pads? Yum.” She smirked.
He shook his head, and they left the market to walk around downtown.
Erin tended to gawk at shoes and handbags, lingering by windows that had assortments of feminine things. She also loved going in and pawing through girlie doodads, soaps and candles, jewelry, notecards. A lot of crap that took up a lot of space in the already tight confines of those tiny boutiques. He felt claustrophobic just looking from the outside in.
“I’ll wait for you on the sidewalk out there,” he said while in one such place with her. “Where I can breathe.”
She laughed at him. “I’ll be right out. I saw something I think my sister would like, and her birthday’s coming up.”
He nodded and tried to walk out but found his way hampered by a super helpful saleswoman.
“Excuse me.” She tapped his arm. “Were you looking for something in particular? For your girlfriend, maybe?” She smiled back at Erin, now talking to the other sales person.
“Nah, she’s the one looking. I’m here with her.”
“Well, if you need help, ask for me. Caitlyn.” She ran a hand over his arm and squeezed, her come-on obvious. He should call her on it, but he didn’t want to make a scene for Erin.
Instead, he left, stewing. This was what he hated about people. The backstabbing, loose-morals way of looking at the world. No one cared about loyalty. And it wasn’t limited to women. He’d seen so many fellow male Marines who thought it was okay to screw around as long as the spouse at home didn’t know.
Granted, not everyone had been so thoughtless. But many had, and on top of what he already knew about love, the idea of being in a committed, monogamous relationship seemed out of reach.
And why the fuck am I blowing this so out of proportion?He felt like a moron. Some stupid chick had hit on him. So what? It happened a lot and he dealt with it. Yet he felt offended on Erin’s behalf. They had appeared to be together, after all. Should he mention it to her? Nah. She didn’t need to know, and they weren’t really a couple or anything. Thoughheimagined breaking the jaw of any guy who looked at her wrong, he had no right to do so.
“All good? I wasn’t too long, was I?” she asked as she joined him outside. She held up a small bag. “I got a pair of earrings and a matching bracelet for my sister.”
“I’m good.” He forced a smile. “I was worried about you never coming out. I don’t know if I’d be able to survive that place if I had to go in looking for you.”
She laughed and put her hand in the crook of his arm as they walked toward one of his favorite stops—a store that sold used books and comics.
“Smith?”
The voice stopped him in his tracks, and Erin halted next to him.
Damn it.
He glanced up to see Reid approaching with a shit-eating grin, his gaze moving from Erin to Smith and warming.
Erin watched them both, waiting.
Reid waited as well, his gaze expectant.
“Hell,” Smith muttered. “Erin, this is Reid, my boss. Reid, Erin.”
