“Is that your nice way of telling me it’s none of my business?”
“Was I being nice? I wasn’t trying to be.”
“Exchanged smart-ass for wiseass, huh?” Alex twisted her lips, and Mason noticed for the first time how small and plump they were. A rosebud mouth, he thought it was called. “Does Dorothy Parker know about you?”
“Who?” He was still distracted by her mouth.How is it so red when she isn’t wearing any lipstick?
“You know.” Alex furrowed her brow. “Dorothy Parker. Queen of the snappy comeback? No?”
He shook his head.
She blew out a disbelieving breath. “Remind me to educate you once we get back to Wayfarer Island. Some of her satire, even though it’s fifty years old, is better than anything anyone is writing today. She’s super sarcastic. I think you’ll like her.”
“Mmmph,” he said, then a thought occurred to him. “Wait, she’s a writer? But you said you only read for educational or research purposes, never for enjoyment. If I remember correctly, you watchSex and the Cityfor enjoyment.”
“Well, that whole no-reading-for-enjoyment rule doesn’t apply to Dorothy Parker.” Alex narrowed her eyes. “And do I detect a hint of judgment in your voice? Don’t tell me you have a problem with Rachel McAdams moviesand”—she stressed the word—“Sex and the City. Because I’ll be forced to agree with Maddy’s earlier assessment that you’re a big, ol’ misogynist.” She popped another orange slice between her succulent lips.
To distract himself, he did the same, savoring the burst of tartness on his tongue. “For your information,” he said sullenly, “I have no opinion ofSex and the City. I’ve never seen a single episode.”
Her eyes rounded behind her glasses, and he was struck by the deep, saturated hue of her irises. They reminded him of the wet jungles of the Amazon or the vibrant stands of bamboo in the Sagano Forest of Japan. Kelly green. Luck o’ the Irish green.Gorgeousgreen. “Seriously?” she asked. “Not even a clip?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Forget Dorothy Parker,” she said. “We have to remedy yourSex and the Citydeficit first. We’ll fire up the laptop and do a marathon the minute we get back. I know you passed on the offer earlier tonight. But this time I’m not taking no for an answer. Besides”—she grinned and bobbed her eyebrows—“you’ll like it. Did I mention the boobs and boinking?”
He really wished she would stop talking about boobs and boinking. Every time she did, his mind immediately conjured up images ofherboobs, and whatshe’dlook like boi—
He shook his head, refusing to finish the thought. “Which begs the question,” he said. “Why doyoulike it?” And then it occurred to him. “Unless…are you…” His mouth was suddenly dry as a desert. He slid another slice of orange between his lips and chewed to wet his whistle. “Do you…ahem…bat for the home team?” Was it possible he’d read her wrong these last few months? “Or maybe you’re a switch-hitter?”
His gaydar was usually spot-on. But maybe his long, self-imposed dry spell had caused his systems to go wonky.
Alex frowned. “Your baseball jargon is flying right over my head. English, please.”
He wasn’t sure how else to ask the question except to just…ask it. And was it totally crazy he wasn’t certain what he wanted the answer to be? If shewasbatting for the home team, it definitely solved the little problem he seemed to be having with her, the one that made him question his self-imposed moratorium on all things sporting that double-X chromosome. Then again, he couldn’t help thinking,But that’d be a crying shame.In his not-so-humble opinion, Alex’s daintyfemalenessseemed to cry out for a male counterpart.
“Do you like girls?” he blurted.
“Of course,” she said.
Holy fuck.
“I like girls, guys, transgender, transsexual, or any type of person you can think of,” she said. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t stop his eyes from widening. “I just likepeople. They’re endlessly fascinating and… Oh my God! I just realized you’re asking if I’m a lesbian!”
He didn’t say anything, choosing instead to sit and wait. There were two things he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. One was that the sun would rise tomorrow in the east. The other was that there really wasn’t much need to talk when Alex was around. She was completely capable of carrying on whole conversations by herself.
And I’m cracked because I enjoy it.The sound of her voice was soothing. And that lisp she developed when she got really worked up? Well, it was nothing short of adorable.
“No,” she said emphatically. “I amnota lesbian. Not even close.” She made a face. “Wait. I didn’t mean for it to sound that way. I’d be proud to be a lesbian. If I were a lesbian. Which I’m not. I like boys…er…guys. I meanmen. I likemen. Well, notallmen. But in a general sexual sense I prefer the male to… Oh, for Chrissakes, I feel like I’m digging myself in deeper with every word.”
And he was totally content to watch her shovel. He took another bite of orange and watched her shift uncomfortably in her seat. She tilted her head and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. For some reason, that gesture always got to him. And now that she’d unequivocally declared she liked boys…guys…men—inside he was quaking with laughter—it was worse. His blood started speeding, spinning, rushing like his heart was a clock that was wound too tight.
“Why did you think I was a lesbian?” she asked, peeling another slice of orange from her half, but not popping it in her mouth. “Is it because I don’t wear makeup? Because just so you know, I usuallydowear makeup when I’m not living on an island that requires me to slather on sunscreen.
“Or is it because I don’t run around in a bikini the way Olivia does? If it is, then I would like to state that the reason I wear a one-piece is the same reason I don’t wear makeup. My skin is really fair, and if I wear a one-piece that’s just that much more surface area I don’t have to rub sunscreen into.” She frowned. “Or maybe it’s the unpainted nails and the baggy shorts and… Wow. I reallydon’tput out a very girlie vibe, do I? That would explain some things.”
When her face looked like it was ready to crumble, Mason figured it was time he opened his mouth. “I think you’reverygirlie,” he reassured her.
“You do?” She blinked at him.Fuck, yeah, I do.“Then why did you ask me if I was… Oh!” She had a laugh like a shotgun. It blasted out of her and echoed across the boat and over the water. “Because I said I likeSex and the Cityfor all the boobs and the boinking. Yup.” She nodded. “I can see how that might give you the wrong impression.”
