“It was the wrong time for it. We’d just gotten done screaming each other’s names out and here I made a stupid comment about the first time I’d had sex with a redhead. Any idiot would know you don’t do that. I’m not sure what it is about you that has me twisted. Maybe that’s why I didn’t reach out either.”
That might have been the wrong button to push. “So it’s a game to you? That you needed to see if I was worth it or not?”
“Man, your face just got even redder. I’m making a big mess of this.” He reached for her hand. “I want to start over. Can we sit?”
“Have a seat,” she said, motioning to the couch. She moved to the chair. Just the touch of his hand on hers was enough to make her want to jump into his lap. She had to keep a clear head.
“I work a lot. I’ve never had time for anything other than my business. I’m a goal-oriented and career-driven guy. Then I’m a single father. Like boom, there it is and I’m doing it all on my own. So I’ve been balancing a demanding job. As Jonah gets older, he wants to be with me more. I like that more than I ever thought I would. It makes it hard to date, so I’m pretty rusty. That’s not an excuse. That is really the truth.”
His business? Goals and career-driven? This didn’t sound like the fun bartender that she’d gotten to know.
Then reminded herself how much did she really know about him?
It’s not like they talked much about their pasts or their lives. It was all about their present.
She sighed. “So what was the plan with me?”
“I didn’t have a plan, which is saying a lot because I always have plans. I don’t normally make the time to date for several reasons, but I wanted to take you out. I had a great time. I’d planned on another date all along, then life got in the way. I asked myself how the hell I was going to do that and then there was Willow pulling me in yet another direction.”
“But then you got me in bed already and figured there was no rush. It’s been a week and here I let you right back in. Maybe that was part of your plan to see how easy I was.”
Damn, where are these words coming from?
But you know what, she could stick up for herself.
If she were going to give this another shot. Or let him keep talking. She wanted all the facts that she could get.
“You go right for the balls, don’t you? I could say the same about you. You came into the bar three times. The first we met. But then you came back two more times and any idiot would know it was for me.”
He was smirking at her and now she knew what it felt like to want to wipe a smirk off someone’s face. But again, he was telling the truth. She went there purposely to see if she could be someone she wasn’t. To see if she had the courage to flirt with him.
Did she think he was going to ask her out? No, she didn’t. At the time she was glad he had.
Now that her world was spinning around her, she didn’t know what to think.
“You’re right. I did go there. I wasn’t going to ask you out though.”
“You weren’t?” he asked, his smile dropping like boulders down a steep mountain.
“I don’t normally ask men out,” she admitted.
“In this case, I’m glad I did it then.”
He might think she had tremors right now with the way her head was moving while every thought bopped around in her head.
“So now what? I’m still confused over what this is all about. Why you’re even here.”
“I don’t know. This is new for me. I haven’t really dated anyone since Jonah was born. Not seriously. I haven’t even wanted to, but with you, there is a want I haven’t felt in a long time. The only thing I can honestly tell you is I’m not ready to be done with you, with us. I’m not ready to have you walk out of my life, but I’m not sure what I can give you either. I’m not one for promises. I’m just laying it all out there.”
16
PRIME EXAMPLE
Dean was trying to figure out what possessed him to come here today.
He’d spent the better part of the week dealing with first Willow and then work.
His sister lasted longer than he thought she would. She’d been all gung-ho on wanting to work around food so he’d sent her into the kitchen for the day to see how it all worked.
