He looks amused, and turned on, and a little exasperated all at once. “Is that your way of saying that yes, you would like to go to the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans with me?”
“I definitely want to,” I admit.
He starts to pull his phone from his pocket, and I realize that he really will call and book us a room. I laugh and reach out, grabbing his forearm. “I can’t. I have to clean all of this up, and I have curvy girls’ yoga in the morning, and then a busy day.”
He stops, frowns, then looks toward the tables. “You have to clean all of this up?”
I drop my hold on his arm. “Of course.”
“Who set it up?”
“I did.”
“You’re not a curvy girl,” he says.
I blink, following his conversation jump, and say, “I lead the class.”
“Youleadan early yoga class the morning after a late-night movie club thing?”
“Yes.”
“What are your work hours?” he asks. “When’s your day off? We’ll go then.”
“I don’t really have set hours or a day off. I just take time…whenever.” I don’t really take time off. I don’t like to sit around. Unless I’m at silent book club or I’m sitting to do a craft project or something.
“Then take time tomorrow,” he says, but his eyes are narrowed and he’s studying me intently.
I feel like I’m being tested.
“I can’t.”
“Is your schedule full of activities that you invented, scheduled, and run completely by yourself?”
I drop my gaze to the collar of his Henley. “Sutton will help me with some of it.”
“Uh huh.” He reaches out and tips my chin up, making me look at him. “You do it all.”
That’s not a question.
“I love it,” I say with conviction.
“I don’t doubt that. But no one, I meanno one—and I don’t even know everyone in this town—expects you to work twenty-four-seven.”
“I…” I wet my lips. “It doesn’t feel like work.”
“Okay. But it still is.”
“But what would I do with time off?” I ask. “I’d be at the park, or the library, or Perks and Rec, or doing crafts anyway. Why not just make it something other people can do too?”
For a second, his expression softens, and I feel his thumb slide over my cheek.
Then the look in his eyes turns sly as his mouth tips up on one side and he drags his thumb over my lower lip. “How about I give you some things to do with your time off that other people arenotinvited to?”
I want to suck on his thumb. I resist, but my stomach has hot ribbons swirling through it now.
“You’ll ruin me for after you leave,” I say softly, voicing that very real fear.
He takes a deep breath, then says, “Fuck, I hope so.”
