The Boy Toy - Nicola Marsh Page 0,73
the relief, a small sliver of disappointment pierced him.
Under different circumstances, even if they were madly in love, would someone like her say yes to him?
The closer they got, the more his flaws would be revealed. His inherent insecurity couldn’t be denied.
He wasn’t good enough for her.
“Hey, you okay?” She touched his arm, and he nodded.
“Yeah. My bruised ego will heal.” He winked. “And I know just the way to soothe it.”
She laughed, not responding when the waitress deposited their coffees on the table, waiting until she’d walked away.
“As much as I’d love to spend the afternoon in bed with you, I have to get back to work.”
She tipped a sugar into her coffee and stirred it, staring at the swirling spoon as if hypnotized, but not before he saw the concern return to her eyes. She was thinking about Pia.
“So you haven’t sorted things out with your cousin yet?”
She shook her head as she raised her gaze to his. “I’m going to catch up with her after work tonight.”
“Does she know this?”
“No, but it’s been long enough. We need to get past this, and I’m taking over the management next week while she’s away, so we have to at least talk before then.”
“If there’s anything I can do . . .” He sipped at his coffee, wishing he didn’t feel so out of his depth around her.
Samira never brought up the age difference between them, and it didn’t register with him, but at times like this, he wished he had more experience with women so he knew what to do to make things easier for her.
He cared about her. Seriously. And even if there wasn’t a baby involved, he knew that the longer they dated and the closer her time came to return to LA, the harder it would’ve been to say goodbye.
“Thanks, but this is something I have to do,” she said, placing the spoon on the saucer but making no move to pick up her coffee. “Want to catch up at my place tonight?” She grimaced. “Though if things go badly with Pia, I can’t promise I’ll be good company.”
“Maybe I can cheer you up?” He trailed a fingertip down her bare forearm. “I’ve been told I’m very good at it.”
“You are,” she murmured, eyeballing him. “Just for the record, pregnant women have very high libidos.”
“Is that a fact?”
“It is, one I can prove to you tonight.”
He grinned, loving how they could switch from earnest to lighthearted so easily. He’d never had a serious relationship, and he’d never imagined it could be like this. Being with Samira was . . . easy. Maybe that was an age thing too; she was mature and self-confident and didn’t feel the need to play games.
She would be a good mom.
“Hey, I’ve just realized something,” he said.
“What?”
“We’ve never been on a real date.”
“Sure we have. That day we spent together in Dandenong.” She pressed a hand to her heart and pretended to swoon. “Our first date. How could I forget?”
He chuckled at her theatrics. “I was thinking along the lines of something classier, more elegant.”
She smiled. “I don’t need all the bells and whistles. I just like spending time with you.”
“Yeah, but I’m going away for a few weeks. I think it would be nice for us to go out tonight.”
Joy sparked her eyes. “You’re a romantic. How quaint.”
Embarrassment heated his cheeks. “I’m about the least romantic guy ever, but you’re special, and I want to do this.”
A soft smile curved her lips. “It’s a date.”
Thirty-Four
Having coffee with Rory at lunchtime had left Samira feeling warm and fuzzy all afternoon. Ironic, that she’d never date a guy ten years younger, usually, but Rory far surpassed her expectations in the maturity stakes.
His proposal had been cute and reeked of old-fashioned chivalry, and while she’d never seriously take him up on it, it had been nice for him to ask. He wanted to be a part of this baby’s life, and that meant a lot.
When she’d fled Melbourne over a decade ago, she never contemplated moving back. She’d established a great life in LA and loved living there. But the moment she’d discovered she was pregnant, she’d known she’d be facing some tough decisions about her living situation. And now with Rory wanting to be a part of their child’s life if she wanted him to be . . . and with her mom here . . . it made sense that she seriously consider moving back home.
Hopefully, she’d have Pia’s support too,