Sebastian leaned through the gap between the front seats. “We’re a little behindschedule.”
“Say no more.” The tires screeched as Kenny put the pedal to themetal.
Sebastian reached toward me. Startled, I jerked back. “What—”
He pulled my seatbelt across my body and snapped the buckle. “Safety first, Keller. Wouldn’t look good for my date to end up in urgentcare.”
“I suppose not,” I saidwryly.
He stayed where he was, a glimmer in his eyes. “You know, if I were François, this would be the awkward point in the date where I’d try to kissyou.”
“Ha.”
“You don’t think Iwould?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?” heasked.
“Easy,” I answered, gripping the seat in front of me as we barely made a yellow light. “You don’t wantto.”
“Are you only saying that so I’ll prove youwrong?”
Not even the blast of his cool-fresh-spice scent could pierce my frustration. First, he’d played with my hair at the game. Now, he was getting up close and personal. His nearness stole my sense, and I needed my wits about me. I tried rolling up my window, but it wouldn’t budge. Kenny must’ve turned on the puppylock.
“Are you just flirting to see if I’ll take the bait and reciprocate?” Iasked.
“You got me,” Sebastian said. “But then again, you’ve just described every incidence of a man flirting with a womanever.”
“I meant that you’re trying totrickme into reciprocating,” Iclarified.
“Why would I dothat?”
“I don’t know—so you can hold it against me at the office? I wouldn’t put it past you to announce it at Monday morning’s meeting. ‘Georgina wants me and I can proveit.’”
“So you wantme?”
“About as much as I want Montezuma’sRevenge.”
“Traffic is light,” Kenny called back as we passed under the Brooklyn Bridge. “We’re making greattime.”
Sebastian scowled, ignoring Kenny. “I’ve been nothing but chivalrous to you all day, and you’re comparing me todiarrhea.”
It’d been an automatic response. It would be mortifying for Sebastian to take me on a fake date and find out I wished it was real. I shrugged, looking out the window. “If the shitfits.”
Kenny took a corner so fast, Bruno and I went flying across the seat toward Sebastian. He shifted to look around Bruno, who panted in his face. “So, if I were to point out that we’ve been having a pretty great seconddate—”
“Second?”
“Oh, come on,” he said. “You had more fun with me at the game than with François—I call that adate.”
I rolled my eyes. Typical of Sebastian to believe he’d scooped another man’s date out from under him. “When you say things like that, you only encourage Justin. You know what he said to me at thegame?”
Sebastian searched my face. “Whatever it was, he probably read it on the back of a cereal box . . . and still confused thedetails.”
“It was more of an observation,” Isaid.
Well, well. It’s a fine line, isn’t it?According to Justin, Sebastian and I hadn’t just been fighting since day one. We’d been fighting somethingbetweenus.
