tonight they were behaving like . . . She realized what they were behaving like and had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. They were behaving like two rutting elks vying for a female.
She had no intention of sitting here while the two of them pawed the sidewalk and locked antlers. Pushing back her chair, she untied Daisy’s leash from the table leg, stood and picked up her coffee. “Daisy’s had almost no exercise today,” she said. “If you don’t mind, Griffin, I think she needs a longer walk.”
“Great idea.” Griffin came out of his chair so fast he almost knocked over his coffee. “Let’s go.”
“See you tomorrow night, Lil,” Brad said.
“I may not make it tomorrow night,” she said. “My life seems to be on fast-forward these days. Take care, Brad.” She turned Daisy toward home because she didn’t want to continue down the street and have to pass Harvey’s on the way home.
“Right!” Brad called after her. “The engagement party! Can I pick you up?”
“Uh, thanks for the offer, but I’ll . . . I’ll probably have to go early.” Lily squeezed her eyes shut. She’d forgotten that Anica had invited Brad, but only as a friend, someone who knew Lily and was in the same coffee shop business as Anica. Lily had been fine with it until now.
“You come here every night?” Griffin fell into step beside her as they started back toward her apartment.
“No. I don’t know why he implied that I do.”
“Don’t you?” He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.
Lily sighed. “Yes, I know why he implied that. We went on one date. One. It didn’t work out.”
“But he wants a second chance.”
“Yeah.” Now would be the time to ask Griffin to be her date for the engagement party, but she was still afraid he’d reject the idea. They hadn’t spent enough quality time together.
She’d envisioned lingering over coffee and discovering all sorts of interesting things about each other. Well, they could do that while they walked.
“If you don’t mind, let’s go down to the dog park,” she said. “Daisy really could use the exercise.”
“All right.” He didn’t sound overjoyed by the prospect.
“You can head home, if you want. I brought my cell, so I could call a taxi.”
His grip on her fingers tightened. “I’ll stay.”
Guilt swept over her again. He was probably sticking around because he hoped that eventually he’d be able to get her into bed. She had the opposite goal. She wanted them to become friends tonight, not lovers.
She took a fortifying drink of her coffee. “I’m going to be straight with you, Griffin. You can hang around until dawn if you want, but I’m not going to bed with you. If that’s all you want from me, then maybe you should take a cab home.”
“I won’t pretend I don’t want to have sex with you.”
“Thanks for being honest.”
“But I’ve never forced a woman in my life. I’m not about to start now.”
She glanced over at him. “You think you’ll wear me down, don’t you?”
The corners of his mouth twitched, as if he might be trying to control a smile. “That’s a very unromantic way of putting it.”
“You think you can seduce me, then.”
The smile broke through, a confident grin of male pride. “It could happen.”
If only he knew how easily. Just talking about having sex with him had dampened her panties. But she understood the consequences and she would be strong. He had no idea that he was dealing with a magic spell that could turn him into her love slave. If he knew, he’d be running in the opposite direction instead of walking along with her, hand in hand, casually and somewhat arrogantly talking about luring her into bed.
They reached the dog park, a grassy area dotted with young trees and enclosed by a chain-link fence. Releasing her hand, Griffin tossed his empty coffee cup in a nearby trash can, opened the metal gate, and motioned them through ahead of him.
“Thank you.” Lily
She had no intention of sitting here while the two of them pawed the sidewalk and locked antlers. Pushing back her chair, she untied Daisy’s leash from the table leg, stood and picked up her coffee. “Daisy’s had almost no exercise today,” she said. “If you don’t mind, Griffin, I think she needs a longer walk.”
“Great idea.” Griffin came out of his chair so fast he almost knocked over his coffee. “Let’s go.”
“See you tomorrow night, Lil,” Brad said.
“I may not make it tomorrow night,” she said. “My life seems to be on fast-forward these days. Take care, Brad.” She turned Daisy toward home because she didn’t want to continue down the street and have to pass Harvey’s on the way home.
“Right!” Brad called after her. “The engagement party! Can I pick you up?”
“Uh, thanks for the offer, but I’ll . . . I’ll probably have to go early.” Lily squeezed her eyes shut. She’d forgotten that Anica had invited Brad, but only as a friend, someone who knew Lily and was in the same coffee shop business as Anica. Lily had been fine with it until now.
“You come here every night?” Griffin fell into step beside her as they started back toward her apartment.
“No. I don’t know why he implied that I do.”
“Don’t you?” He took her hand and laced his fingers through hers.
Lily sighed. “Yes, I know why he implied that. We went on one date. One. It didn’t work out.”
“But he wants a second chance.”
“Yeah.” Now would be the time to ask Griffin to be her date for the engagement party, but she was still afraid he’d reject the idea. They hadn’t spent enough quality time together.
She’d envisioned lingering over coffee and discovering all sorts of interesting things about each other. Well, they could do that while they walked.
“If you don’t mind, let’s go down to the dog park,” she said. “Daisy really could use the exercise.”
“All right.” He didn’t sound overjoyed by the prospect.
“You can head home, if you want. I brought my cell, so I could call a taxi.”
His grip on her fingers tightened. “I’ll stay.”
Guilt swept over her again. He was probably sticking around because he hoped that eventually he’d be able to get her into bed. She had the opposite goal. She wanted them to become friends tonight, not lovers.
She took a fortifying drink of her coffee. “I’m going to be straight with you, Griffin. You can hang around until dawn if you want, but I’m not going to bed with you. If that’s all you want from me, then maybe you should take a cab home.”
“I won’t pretend I don’t want to have sex with you.”
“Thanks for being honest.”
“But I’ve never forced a woman in my life. I’m not about to start now.”
She glanced over at him. “You think you’ll wear me down, don’t you?”
The corners of his mouth twitched, as if he might be trying to control a smile. “That’s a very unromantic way of putting it.”
“You think you can seduce me, then.”
The smile broke through, a confident grin of male pride. “It could happen.”
If only he knew how easily. Just talking about having sex with him had dampened her panties. But she understood the consequences and she would be strong. He had no idea that he was dealing with a magic spell that could turn him into her love slave. If he knew, he’d be running in the opposite direction instead of walking along with her, hand in hand, casually and somewhat arrogantly talking about luring her into bed.
They reached the dog park, a grassy area dotted with young trees and enclosed by a chain-link fence. Releasing her hand, Griffin tossed his empty coffee cup in a nearby trash can, opened the metal gate, and motioned them through ahead of him.
“Thank you.” Lily
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