“Emery said that was an old wives’ tale,” I said, panicking. There had only been one scorpion, and that had been enough.
He casually lifted a shoulder. “Maybe.”
Jackass.
“Well, whatever. I’m staying at the Austin Motel tonight, and I’m not going near my place until the exterminator comes tomorrow.”
The extra keycard sat heavy in my wallet at the mention of a hotel room. My hands flexed with the desire to pull him tome, invite him to stay with me, and promise him every fucking pleasure I was capable of.
I thought briefly of the dates I’d been on, trying to remember why the hell I’d pursued that line of men when I had Rowdy right here in front of me.
Because he’d practically recoiled from you the last time, remember? Not to mention the fact that there’s no way he’d want to be saddled with a kid right now. Or ever, probably.
The unsaid invitation hung between us, and Rowdy’s shoulders stiffened.
“Besides a quarterly exterminator visit, you should also plant some sage and lavender around the house,” he said, fiddling with the paper coaster.
I despised the discomfort I read in his averted eyes, but his body language and verbal pivot could not have been clearer: Rowdy one hundred percent didnotwant me to proposition him.
Even though I’d reminded myself of the very good reasons Ishouldn’task him to join me, I didn’t get it. Had I been wrong this entire time about our chemistry? Had he simply been placating me because I was Emery’s friend? When could I have another taste of him?
God, how I wanted another taste of him.
But he was not on board, and whatever the reason, I wasn’t going to figure it out tonight.
I decided, instead, to take the hint. “Good suggestion, but as I’ve discovered with my first round of plantings, I’ve got a black thumb.”
That brought a smile to his lips.
“You are pathetic,” he said as he grabbed my forearm and shook it. “Tell you what, I’ll rope in Stevie—Sunday after next, if that’s good for you—and we’ll set you up with some native plants that don’t need that much minding. Hell, I’ll bet they canbe managed with your fancy automatic sprinkler system. Black-thumb proof.”
“I look forward to it.” I wasn’t lying—I’d be counting the days until I could see him again. “And that Sunday works great.”
He drained his soda and stood from the bar. “Not to abandon you, but I should probably hit the road.”
“Of course,” I said, standing with him. I swayed with hesitation. “I know you can take care of yourself, but do you mind if I walk you to your truck?”
“Uh...” He seemed to short circuit, then pulled himself together. “No, I wouldn’t mind that.”
I held out my elbow, and though he seemed uncertain, he took it. We walked out of the bar and down the street to the parking structure on the corner. I walked him up three flights of concrete and steel stairs to his little truck, keeping my eyes forward the entire time.
“Shit,” he said as we reached his parking space. “I totally forgot that you’re afraid of heights.”
I squeezed my elbow around his. “It’s okay. I know what to do to avoid a freak out.”
“But we could’ve taken the elevator.”
“I’m fine, Rowd. Promise. I’ll take the elevator on the way down.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
We stood there in the echoey garage until he finally slid his elbow from mine, fishing for his keys in his pocket.
As he unlocked the door, I asked, “Do you mind including me when you text Skylar to let him know that you’ve arrived home safely?”
He dropped the keys, and I swooped down to grab them.
