“And Mason was an asshole, you know.Everyone knows that.”
Another topic she didn’t want to discuss.“Thank you.”
“Terra knows she’s hot.She knows she can get any guy.”Nice.Just what the ex-girlfriend wanted to hear.“The way she talks to guys… I don’t know how any guy could date a woman like that.Screw them, sure, but they’re still seeing each other, right?”
She scratched her neck, wishing for a fire alarm.“Maybe.I don’t keep track.”
“Last I heard they were.Peter asked her out for a drink and she said Mason was taking her to dinner.”
“Mm.”
Maybe she could get away with faking a heart attack.
“Shit,” he said.“Sorry, you probably don’t want to talk about that.”
“No, not particularly.”
Silence fell.What to talk about?Work?They’d kind of done that and she didn’t want to talk about Cam.
Falling into stride with Cam had been easy.Maybe too easy.He trusted her to take calls.Make decisions.Control just about anything.He hadn’t corrected or chastised her once.She let herself into his house each day, made her coffee, and got to work in his living room while he did his thing.
At lunchtime, he worked out in the downstairs gym.When he was done and in the shower, she’d make him a sandwich and drink and leave them on the stairs.His office led from that gym, she supposed, he’d never invited her in and the doors were always closed.
Thinking about another man probably wasn’t good date etiquette.
Damnit.The date.Yes.Engaged.This was supposed to be fun.The dates she’d had earlier in the week were busts.Always a bust.This week.Last week.Bust.Bust.Bust.
Nathaniel was her last scheduled swing.Already it was obvious this wasn’t a homerun.Where else might she find eligible men?God, what was the thing about trying too hard?She was broken.Damaged.What if this was the rest of her life?
“Do your family live close by?”Nathaniel asked.
“I’m not close to my family,” she said.“Are you close to yours?”
“I’ve got a brother.”
“That’s nice…”
The couple at the next table were sitting close, whispering, holding hands, sharing kisses.Okay, it was sweet, but she shouldn’t be jealous.There were different kinds of intimacy.Being wild didn’t usually involve intimacy like that.She’d had intimacy… hadn’t she?
“You want to go somewhere else and get a drink?”Nathaniel asked, seemingly lost for further conversation.
“Yes,” she said, grabbing the lifeline.
More alcohol, lower lighting, yeah, that was better for wild.Wild wasn’t a classy restaurant and a colleague that didn’t stir her hormones.It was a learning curve.She’d get to wild… right?
***
TWO HOURS AND most of a bottle of wine later, she still hadn’t found wild.
“There should be plenty of cabs around,” she said as they walked out of the bar.
Conversation was excruciating and she was sick of pushing away his wandering hands.Nathaniel was cute and that was where the pro column ended.
When he put his arm around her to pull her close, she tensed up.
“Our night doesn’t have to end here.”
“It does,” she said, unhooking his arm to step out of the embrace.“It really does.”
