“You can cover drinks if I can cover dinner,” I responded.
“Deal,” Cay said, reaching out to shake. His palm was callused and warm, and electricity sparked through my system like the first jolt to a dead battery.
I forced my gaze over to the server as I removed my hand. “Gin and tonic.” The server offered a nod and swept away, leaving us to the conversation we’d been having. Maisie was giving Alex a subtle glare, which I didn’t think her best friend was catching for shit.
“I thought we didn’t bring him up anymore,” Maisie muttered.
Alex shrugged. “You guys were together for five years. It’s not an insignificant amount of time.”
“Recent breakup?” I asked. Not that it mattered. I wasn’t getting a whole lot of interest from Maisie in my direction. Honestly, the girls seemed more wrapped up in each other than they did with either of us.
“Just a year ago,” Maisie said before taking a demure sip from her pink drink in a martini glass. “So I’ve had plenty of time to process and move on.”
“I get it,” I said, wanting to at least make an attempt with my date. “My girlfriend dumped me right before the Comic-Con where Cay and I met.”
I snuck a glance at Cay, who was blinking at me.
“No shit, really?” he asked, running a hand along his jaw. “Was that why you were byyourself?”
I licked my lips on instinct, maybe muscle memory from that day. Cay’s nostrils flared, his gaze glued to me.
“Uh, yeah. She was supposed to be my Lois,” I said. “Luckily, some Batman cosplayer took pity on me.”
The crooked grin he gave back caused a surge of adrenaline through my veins.
“Well, Lois is boring anyway,” Alex interrupted, jabbing a finger. “Supes is okay, but come on, there are some far better characters to choose from.”
Before I could launch into a deep dive into Superman’s character, Cay dragged his phone out from his pants pocket.
“Hold on,” Cay said. He tapped a few buttons on the screen and passed the phone my way. “This time, I’m getting your contact info.”
I typed my number in, trying to ignore the giddy bounce in my chest.
This blind date wasnothinglike I’d expected.
Chapter Six
Cay
Iwas staring. I knew it. But fuck if I could help it.
My mouth was its own entity, as usual, but I couldn’t say I regretted buying my Superman a drink. I handed him my phone to type in his number and had to force myself not to putDreamboy Beckin there, opting for justBeck. It had been so long since I’d gotten laid properly—my hand didn’t count—that my body was responding to any warm person in my vicinity. Then again, I hadn’t squirmed that much with Maisie around.
That kiss I shared with Beck had fucked with my head, but I didn’t dare unpack it. Right now, I had to try harder for Alex to like me. The fact that sparks hadn’t flown the moment we’d met didn’t mean we wouldn’t hit it off. Though after the second roundof drinks and my steak eaten, I still couldn’t get her to look at me or tell me much about her. Her jokes were on point, and her vibe made me want to party with her all night, but my mind, as well as my gaze, kept drifting to the man next to me. Beck sat stiffly, listening to the girls and nodding.
I wanted to ask him so many questions but, at the same time, had no idea how to start. How should I get his attention?
I elbowed him gently, but he straightened up and reached for his glass. I nudged his knee with mine. Nothing.
Reaching under the table, a picture of discretion, I squeezed his thigh.
Beck jumped in his seat as if electrocuted and sputtered his water, coughing uncontrollably. I propelled to my feet to pat him on the back, but he shrugged me off, offering a mild glare.
“’Scuse me,” he said and stood up, wiping his shirt with the cloth napkin.
“I’ll check on him.” I waved at the girls and ran after Beck.
“What was that?” he shot at me the moment we reached the men’s room.
