“Doctors are fanboys. Trust me,” he winks. “Now, I asked if I could see you again.”
I look at anything but him. I don’t know what to say. Yes, he’s fun. And playful. And hot. And considerate and makes me get off like no one I’ve ever been with. But it won’t work. It can’t. I don’t want it to. “I need to think about it.”
His brows pull together. “And why is that?”
“A lot of reasons.”
“What do you want?” he asks, slipping his hands in the front pouch of his hoodie. “You want romanced? I’ll romance the shit out of you.”
I can’t help but laugh. “It’s not about that.”
“Then what is it about?” He sounds genuinely concerned. Or curious. Maybe a mixture of both. “Someone really stuck it to you, didn’t they? Who was it?”
“No one. I just know how guys like you tick, and I’m not sure if I can handle it, if you want to know the truth.”
He strokes his chin, watching me with a narrowed gaze. All I can do is think about what that scruff would feel like between my legs.
“Did he play baseball? Football? Oh, God, don’t tell me you were in love with a basketball player!”
“Landry!” I laugh.
“He did play basketball, didn’t he? Geez, Dani, I had you figured to be smarter than that.”
Opening the door to my car, I stick my keys in the ignition. “He didn’t play basketball. I don’t even like basketball.”
“Thank fuck,” he sighs. “But there was someone.”
“I didn’t say that exactly.”
“He’s not an Arrow, is he?”
“Why?”
“It’s a yes or no kind of question, Dani.”
I laugh, unable to stop from smiling at this ridiculously handsome man questioning me. I should be annoyed, but I’m not. I just want to kiss him again, which is exactly why I can’t. “No. He isn’t an Arrow.”
He blows out a breath. “Good. That would’ve been awkward.”
“How do you figure?” I ask.
“It’s like dating your best friend’s girl. You don’t do it.”
“Um, we aren’t dating.”
“What a terrible thing to point out.” He leans forward, one hand on my car. “We should fix that, don’t you think?”
“No,” I reply adamantly, hoping to convince the both of us.
“Come on,” he coaxes. “You aren’t even mean to me anymore. I’m wearing you down. I can tell.”
Rolling my eyes, I grip the gear shifter. I need to get away from this conversation while I can, while I still have some sense about me. “I need to get going.”
A look flickers through his eyes as he pushes away from my car. It’s not going to be that easy. “Have it your way,” he says, a huge smile on his face.
“See you, Landry. And thanks for the orgasm.”
He laughs. “The pleasure was all mine. Well, not really, but it was worth it.”
With a shake of my head, I pull my door closed and put the car in reverse. I back out and drive away, sneaking one final glance at the sexy man standing in the parking lot, watching me leave.
Lincoln
MY PHONE BUZZES THROUGH THE Bluetooth as I take a right onto the freeway. It interrupts the hip-hop station with its shrill ring that tells me it’s Graham.
I press the button on the steering wheel. “Hey, G!”
“Why do you sound so chipper?”
“Chipper? I’m not sure that’s the right word,” I laugh. “What’s up?”
“Just calling to check on your shoulder. Dad said he tried to call you earlier today and you didn’t answer.”
“I sent him to voicemail,” I crack.
“Ballsy,” he laughs.
I shrug. “Yeah, well, I have to be in the right frame of mind to talk to him. You know how we are.”
“Oil and water?”
“Nah, not that bad. Maybe more like Cardinals and Cubs.”
He laughs. “Always the baseball reference.”
“Hey, you reference what you know. Baseball is what I know.”
“Speaking of which, how’s the shoulder?”
“I’ll put it to you like this,” I say, weaving in and out of traffic before hitting my exit, “my shoulder feels fanfuckingtastic right now.”
Graham sighs into the phone. I can hear the dread in it, and I know he’s rolling through a million scenarios as to why I’m not giving him a play-by-play of my pain this evening. He probably thinks I’ve resorted to drugs. Fucker.
“Care to elaborate?” he asks.
“She was so fucking wet,” I say, strumming my fingertips on the wheel. “And when she came, her pussy clamped down on my fingers like it was a vice grip. I can only imagine what that would feel like on my cock.”
“I should’ve known . . .”
“Tell the truth—you were sure I was on dope or something, huh?”
“With you, Linc, I’m never sure about anything.”
“Which is why you love me. Barrett and Ford are boring. I keep you entertained.”
“Hey, speaking of Barrett, he’s headed to Tennessee in a few days. There’s some convention . . . I can’t remember the day, and I’m driving so I can’t pull up the calendar. He’ll be in Tennessee just overnight. He was mentioning that he wanted to try to see you while he was in the area.”
“Is he bringing Alison?” I joke.
Graham snorts and then strings a slew of profanities about someone not using a turn signal. He takes a few seconds to gather himself before he comes back on the line.
“You get so worked up over nothing,” I remark. “You’re gonna have a heart attack before you’re forty. And I’ll tell you what, as the second smartest sibling, I’m not about to take over your job. So figure that shit out, will ya?”
“You couldn’t do my job, asshole.”
“The hell I couldn’t.” I think about it for a moment. “Yeah, I probably couldn’t. You’re right. Plus, I’d have to see Dad every day, and that makes me want to shoot myself in the face.”
He chuckles. “You know, there’s a good chance I’m going to need a secretary soon. Mine just keeps missing more and more, and I’m getting further behind.”
“Fire her,” I say easily. “Just cut her the two-weeks check and call it good.”
“You ever fired anyone?”
“Nope.”
“Yeah. So shut up,” he laughs. “I am going to have to do something. But I hate change.”
“You’ll live.” I pilot my SUV into the entrance to my gated community and press the code. The gate rises and I go through. “I’m almost home, G, so I gotta go. You good? Need anything?”
“Nah. Let me know about your shoulder. And for fuck’s sake, man, call Dad tomorrow.”
“We’ll see.”
“Talk to you later.”
“Later.”
Sliding into the garage, I cut the engine and hop out. Stepping over a set of dumbbells, I climb the stairs to the door leading into the laundry room. There’s a bounce in my step that even I notice, a little hop that makes me laugh at myself.
I haven’t felt like this in a long time. Just happy. Not overcome with a million worries and needing to figure shit out. With her, it’s . . . easy. There’s no talk of contracts or backup plans or dollar amounts. I’m not sure she even cares. Hell, I’m not completely convinced she wants to see me again. Which is precisely why I have to see her again.
“Danielle Ashley,” I say, stripping my clothes to the floor and putting them in the hamper for Rita. “You are one intriguing lady.”