"Not sure," he admits. "My team has me back home to nurse my broken heart."
"Was hand jobs with the hot hockey player part of your rehabilitation plan?"
His deep rumble of a chuckle fills the car. I can almost feel the vibration of the sound waves. "Not originally but it didn't hurt."
"Darn, I'll have to be rougher next time."
"Next time?" Rhys asks with a brow raised in my direction even as he keeps his eyes on the road.
Shit.
"Turn of phrase, Charming." I wave off my comment and am grateful for the dark of night to cover the blush I didn’t ask for. "Unless…"
Rhys glances my way quickly before returning his eyes to the road. "I can't start dating anyone right now. My PR team has a very specific plan around this." His flat tone reminds me of a kid delivering lines in a school play.
"I wasn't asking to date you. I don't date anyway."
"Well, I can't." He counters.
"Right, so you've said." I confirm.
Are we fighting? Or is this normal post-sex conversation? I usually just find out where I need to send the rideshare. I've never started a conversation about seeing each other again.
I’m in totally uncharted territory here. The road is flat but tell that to my guy. He’s on a super-coaster, one that is trying to break all land-speed records.
Can a joke get me out of this?
"But," Rhys slowly lifts a shoulder and a feeling similar to hope rises in my chest with it. "I could probably swing a friends-with-benefits thing."
Well, isn’t this an interesting development.
I shift in my seat towards him and run my tongue along my teeth. "Oh really? And with who would you do this friends-with-benefits thing?"
"Whom." Rhys corrects.
"Don't be that guy." I chastise.
"Then don't pretend you didn't know I was talking about you."
"Fine."
"Fine."
There's a pause as tension fills the car.
"Was that our first lovers quarrel?" I ask and Rhys just shakes his head.
"I'm serious Duncan."
"Well you should know that's the quickest way to scare off your new friend-with-benefits but I'll play, what do you have in mind?"
"I dunno, just, like, meetups like tonight."
"In D.C. or Nashville? Because logistically it could get tricky to hide our relationship if we're flying to each other's cities all the time."
"Well you come to Nashville for games right?"
"Three or four times a season." I confirm. "How often are you in D.C.?"
