”No,” she said flatly, cutting me off before I could finish.
“No what? You don’t even know what I was gonna ask.”
“You were going to ask about me and Cash. And the answer is no, we’re not a thing. We’ve hooked up a few times, haven’t in a while, and it’s not something I talk about.”
I tapped the table. “That’s three answers. I only needed one.”
She cut her eyes at me like she wanted to smack me, but there was the faintest hint of amusement on her face. “You’re annoying.”
She relaxed a little bit after that. She had a dry sense of humor and every time I got her to smile, I felt like I’d won something. And the more comfortable she got, the more I noticed her noticing me.
Like the way her eyes lingered on my hands when I lifted my glass. How she started to inch closer to me and when she realized it, she scooted back a bit. She was trying to put a wall up, but it was failing.
Then I said something—I don’t even remember what—and she laughed. Not the controlled thing she did when she was around me and the guys. A real laugh—and it seemed to surprise her too. Her hand landed on my forearm to steady herself, and she left it there for a moment longer than necessary.
We both felt it.
Her smile faded. She pulled her hand back and grabbed her purse.
“I should go,” she said and suddenly the wall was back up.
“Yo, hold on?—”
Nairobi dropped some cash on the table and slid out the booth. “It’s late, Fontaine. Thanks for the company.”
She hurried for the exit without looking back.
“Nairobi.” I caught up to her on the sidewalk. The summer night air was humid and thick around us. “What just happened?”
She was walking fast in the direction of her condo. “Nothing. I’ve had too much to drink and I’m tired.”
“Bullshit. You were fine two minutes ago.”
She stopped at the corner and turned around. “What do you want me to say?” she asked, throwing her hands up.
“I want you to tell me why you just ran out on me like the building was on fire.”
She looked away. “Fontaine, this isn’t—” she stammered. “You’re one of Cash’s best friends. This shouldn’t be happening.”
“I thought there was nothing between you and Cash.”
She finally looked at me, and everything she wouldn’t say was right there on her face. The want. The internal battle she was having with herself about whether to let me in or shut this whole thing down.
I stepped closer. “Tell me to stop,” I said, sliding my hand around her waist.
Nairobi bit her bottom lip as I pulled her flush to me.
I don’t know why, but I leaned in and kissed her. Her hands pressed against my chest like she was about to push me away, but then I felt her relax against me. Her fingers found their way around my neck, and I tasted the Malbec she’d been drinking as the kiss deepened. The sound she made against my mouth was so soft, I thought I imagined it.
But I didn’t. And I wasn’t imagining the way her body fit perfectly against mine. Something clickedinto place for me right then. I’d wanted women before. Shit, I’d had plenty. This wasn’t that. Nah, this was the kind of kiss that rearranged shit in your head, the kind that made you realize you’d been missing something you didn’t even know. My hand moved to the back of her head, holding her there because I wasn’t ready for it to end.
When we finally pulled apart, her eyes were closed, her forehead resting against my chin. I could feel her heartbeat against my chest, racing just as fast as mine.
“This is a bad idea,” she whispered.
“Probably,” I said, my thumb tracing her jaw.
Whatever this was—good, bad—I was done. There was no going back to being casual acquaintances after this. She’d deaded all of that with one kiss, and I didn’t even think she knew it.
