like “Do you like women?” But if she tried to say something like that, he would probably choke on his chow mein from laughter.
Instead, she shifted on the floor and mumbled, “We always had pets. Dogs, cats, turtles, birds.”
“Do you have any brothers and sisters?”
“One brother.” Who she saw twice a year. “We’re not exactly close.” She had gotten over Steve’s disinterest years ago, but she still longed for a better relationship with him. Or a new brother.
“Why not?” Luke let Greedy swipe a piece of scrambled egg from his fried rice.
No mystery there. “Because I’m three inches taller than him.”
Luke paused mid-bite then laughed. “Are you serious?”
How she wished she weren’t. “Yes. He’s two years older than me, and by the time I was in fourth grade, I was taller than him. He always swore that boys grow later and he would catch up, but he never did. It’s not like he’s short or anything. He just found it awkward to have a sister bigger than him.”
“That’s unreal.” He shook his head.
“The thing is, if I could have chosen, I would have given him the three inches.” She shrugged and bit a noodle.
He tossed his chopsticks down. “I’m glad you couldn’t. I can’t picture you any other way but with mile-high legs and green eyes that meet mine straight on.”
“Stop it.” Her face went hot, first from his comment, then from her hasty words. That was by far the worst response to a compliment she had given since middle school. She stared at her food in confusion. If only she could trust herself to believe him, then she could enjoy spending time with him a whole lot more. Even when he was tossing sexual innuendos at her with a lascivious grin, she had trouble believing that it was more than a game.
Trouble believing that he could want her the way she wanted him. Because she did. And if she could swallow her fear and accept what he was saying at face value, she was going to forget about the consequences and sleep with him.
Because sleeping with him, enjoying sex, wasn’t the issue. It was her self-esteem, and no one could fix that but her. So what if she slept with Luke and he didn’t text her the next day? It just meant that they were in different places in their lives—hell, different cities when he went home to Chicago. Just because he didn’t want to marry her after five minutes didn’t mean he wasn’t attracted to her or that she was of any less value.
It was hard to acknowledge that she was still fighting the same battles at twenty-eight that she had at eighteen and thirteen. She wanted to be over her insecurities, once and for all.
His eyes narrowed. “Drop the chopstick.”
“What?” she asked in confusion, dropping the utensil reflexively.
“I’m going to ask you a question.” He closed the food boxes one by one slowly and methodically, stacking her plate on top of his and shoving them against the wall.
“Yes?” Her heart picked up its pace in nervousness. She hoped this wasn’t like truth or dare. She had always hated that game and usually lied her way through it.
“Do you think you’re sexy?” He was stalking her now, inching forward on his knees towards her.
What kind of a question is that? she wondered hysterically. A trick question—that’s what it was.
“It’s not a trick question.”
Damn! Was he reading her mind?
“Do you think you’re sexy to men?”
When he put it that way, the answer was a little more obvious. She shook her head and her ponytail hit her in the cheek. “No.”
He swore. Colorfully. She wasn’t going to change her answer though. Men saw her as a pal. Someone to jog with, not get naked with. She tilted her head up.
“You’re sexy to me.” One of Luke’s hands snaked out and took hers. As he slowly kissed each finger, he stared at her. “And to any man who’s not blind. Some men are intimidated by a woman who’s got her act together. I already told you I’m not one of them.”
No, he
Instead, she shifted on the floor and mumbled, “We always had pets. Dogs, cats, turtles, birds.”
“Do you have any brothers and sisters?”
“One brother.” Who she saw twice a year. “We’re not exactly close.” She had gotten over Steve’s disinterest years ago, but she still longed for a better relationship with him. Or a new brother.
“Why not?” Luke let Greedy swipe a piece of scrambled egg from his fried rice.
No mystery there. “Because I’m three inches taller than him.”
Luke paused mid-bite then laughed. “Are you serious?”
How she wished she weren’t. “Yes. He’s two years older than me, and by the time I was in fourth grade, I was taller than him. He always swore that boys grow later and he would catch up, but he never did. It’s not like he’s short or anything. He just found it awkward to have a sister bigger than him.”
“That’s unreal.” He shook his head.
“The thing is, if I could have chosen, I would have given him the three inches.” She shrugged and bit a noodle.
He tossed his chopsticks down. “I’m glad you couldn’t. I can’t picture you any other way but with mile-high legs and green eyes that meet mine straight on.”
“Stop it.” Her face went hot, first from his comment, then from her hasty words. That was by far the worst response to a compliment she had given since middle school. She stared at her food in confusion. If only she could trust herself to believe him, then she could enjoy spending time with him a whole lot more. Even when he was tossing sexual innuendos at her with a lascivious grin, she had trouble believing that it was more than a game.
Trouble believing that he could want her the way she wanted him. Because she did. And if she could swallow her fear and accept what he was saying at face value, she was going to forget about the consequences and sleep with him.
Because sleeping with him, enjoying sex, wasn’t the issue. It was her self-esteem, and no one could fix that but her. So what if she slept with Luke and he didn’t text her the next day? It just meant that they were in different places in their lives—hell, different cities when he went home to Chicago. Just because he didn’t want to marry her after five minutes didn’t mean he wasn’t attracted to her or that she was of any less value.
It was hard to acknowledge that she was still fighting the same battles at twenty-eight that she had at eighteen and thirteen. She wanted to be over her insecurities, once and for all.
His eyes narrowed. “Drop the chopstick.”
“What?” she asked in confusion, dropping the utensil reflexively.
“I’m going to ask you a question.” He closed the food boxes one by one slowly and methodically, stacking her plate on top of his and shoving them against the wall.
“Yes?” Her heart picked up its pace in nervousness. She hoped this wasn’t like truth or dare. She had always hated that game and usually lied her way through it.
“Do you think you’re sexy?” He was stalking her now, inching forward on his knees towards her.
What kind of a question is that? she wondered hysterically. A trick question—that’s what it was.
“It’s not a trick question.”
Damn! Was he reading her mind?
“Do you think you’re sexy to men?”
When he put it that way, the answer was a little more obvious. She shook her head and her ponytail hit her in the cheek. “No.”
He swore. Colorfully. She wasn’t going to change her answer though. Men saw her as a pal. Someone to jog with, not get naked with. She tilted her head up.
“You’re sexy to me.” One of Luke’s hands snaked out and took hers. As he slowly kissed each finger, he stared at her. “And to any man who’s not blind. Some men are intimidated by a woman who’s got her act together. I already told you I’m not one of them.”
No, he
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