I can’t hide my amusement. “You either have a very short fuse or an asshole for a friend.”
The tension slips further from her shoulders, and she smiles at my remark. “It’s the latter.”
Shit, so maybe model dude is her boyfriend. What am I doing here? I don’t have time in my life for shit like this, but I also can’t seem to make my feet walk away.
“Well, I can promise I’m not an asshole, and I’m not doing anything tonight. Do you want to grab a drink?” She looks down at her watch and bites her bottom lip in contemplation, her hesitancy making me uneasy.
“Come on, Green Eyes, it’s only nine o’clock.” Pathetic, I’m begging a girl I should be running from to have a drink with me.
Those eyes instantly meet mine and are filled with a sudden shine that wasn’t there a minute ago.
“Do you want to come in and watch American Ninja Warrior with me?” The request comes so quickly I almost miss it. In fact, the only part I understood was that she wants me to come inside her place. Hell yeah, I’m coming inside. But first, I need to know what we’re doing because at this moment, what my dick hears is ‘coming inside’ and it has its own idea as to what that means.
Suddenly she’s laughing, and it’s awesome. Her entire face brightens, and her eyes twinkle like I’ve never seen. Her happiness is settling in my chest and making me grin at her like a damn schoolboy.
“You have no idea what I’m talking about do you?” Her laughter subsides and leaves her with a smile that is . . . stunning.
“No clue. Only that you asked me in, and yet, I’m still standing in your doorway.”
She moves to the side and waves me through. Her apartment is decorated in all white. White couch. White walls. White fuzzy rug. Even a white lamp. I move towards the couch, and she goes into the small kitchen off the entryway, which I notice is also white. She comes back out with a broom and begins to sweep up the broken vase that I now see all over the floor. Grabbing the dustpan, I help her.
“Thanks,” she says.
Taking the broom from her, my hand purposely slides over hers. Shit, her skin is soft compared to my rough calloused hands. “You’re welcome.” She stands a little straighter as I remove the broom from her grip. Going back into her kitchen, I throw the broken pieces in the trash and head out to her family room, grabbing the bowl of microwave popcorn she’s left on the counter.
“Do you want a beer?” she asks.
Throwing a few popped kernels into my mouth, I grin at her. “Sure.” I’m looking at a photo of her and an older man standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. “This is all I have.” Walking back into the room, she hands me a Corona.
“It’s great.” I place the bottle on the table and point at the photo. “Is this your dad?” Her eyes scan the picture with pleasure, all trace of the anger she’d displayed earlier completely gone.
“That’s him. We took that trip ten years ago when I graduated high school.” She’s fumbling with the remote control and scanning through shows that keep popping up on the screen.
Setting the photo down, I briefly wonder about her mom and if she was in Paris with them as well, but the thought quickly fades as she sits beside me, settling into the deep white cushions and letting out a contented sigh.
My body has never before been so aware of another human being. Her hand is approximately three inches from mine, her shoulder a little further. Her dark hair is pulled back into something messy behind her head, a stray piece falling down her silky white neck and resting just above her shoulder.
She pulls her legs off the floor and crosses them. For the first time I notice she is wearing shorts, her bare thigh just within my reach. I curl my left hand into a fist, willing it to stay put and not extend out and stroke her soft, toned skin.
I kick off my Nikes and stretch my long legs out underneath her coffee table, attempting any means possible to relax and not act like I want to jump her bones, which is exactly what I want to do.
“Okay, watch this guy, he’s about to do the Salmon Ladder, it’s a total dream crusher.” She’s completely mesmerized by