I feel my mouth turning up in a grin.
“Listen up there, Smarty-Pants, I'm not the one that froze up like a deer in the headlights in the middle of those child infested wood chips. Don't think I didn't notice you gazing at me like that. If anyone was gunning to fuck anyone, it was you lookin' at me.”
“Okay, fine,” Brooke says, leaning even closer, her hair trailing over her shoulder onto the tabletop. “But when I asked you to be the nanny, you were just thinking about getting in my pants.”
“Nope.” I lean in towards her, matching her stance. “I was legit worried about you. Little na?ve there, Brooke Overland, especially for such a Smarty-Pants.”
She grins at me and I like the expression so much that I lean forward just a little bit more and press our mouths together, my tongue sliding in and capturing her before she can pull away from me. There's a moment of hesitation on her part, but then she starts kissing me back and I smile.
“Stop it,” she moans when she drops back into her seat. “Don't smile while we're doing that.”
“Why not?” I ask as I prop my elbow on the table and drop my head into my hand. “It's fun. Don't you like to kiss people? You might be never-been-fucked, but don't tell me you're never-been-kissed, too?”
“I kissed people,” she says as the waitress stops by to take our order and Brooke flushes at her bemused smile. Clearly, she saw the tongue tangle that was happening over here.
We both skip the coffee and head straight for the good stuff, getting fresh fish and chips and a couple of sodas. Nice. I like a girl that can eat. Weirds me out when you people order salads and shit. What the hell is that all about?
“Who?” I ask when the waitress leaves. Brooke raises an eyebrow and I just seriously want to pierce the fuck out of it. Hey, I mean, it is my art. I know it's kind of a weird art form to have, but what can I say? I like the human body. I like to enhance it the best way I know how: with needles and metal. Brooke … she's so pretty, all I really want to grab is that perfect eyebrow. Wonder if she'd let me if I asked? Or do biostatisticians not get pierced?
“Who what?” Brooke asks as she smiles over at Sadie. The kid's currently occupied with dropping her head back and making a small O with her mouth as she stares at the ceiling. Damn. I think I actually like babies. Kinzie … you know, I'm working on learning to like her.
“Who did you kiss?” Brooke makes a face at me and tilts her head to the side, hair swinging.
“Why do you care?” I shrug my shoulders as she sighs and looks up at the ceiling like Sadie.
“Just curious. Were you one of those goody-goodies that only kisses like, one guy during high school?” Brooke drops her gaze back to mine and narrows her eyes.
“I kissed Ingrid's boyfriend once. Well, more than kissed. We almost screwed, but then she came home and caught us. Maybe I owe her all of this to make up for that?”
I laugh and Brooke smiles again. I like the expression. I want her to keep talking just so I can see that right there, that press of her lips, the little dimples she gets in her cheeks.
“Look at you, you bad girl,” I say, giving her a goofy side smile. “Cheating with your sister's boyfriend. So much hotter than screwing the nanny.”
Brooke laughs again and wads up her napkin, tossing it at me as I chuckle.
“When you put it like that, it sounds creepy as hell. You're the old guy here you know. Seven years older. If anyone's the creeper, it should be you.”
I slap a hand to my chest.
“Hey, I was complimenting your choice to screw the nanny. And then you go and insult me? So not cool, Brooke Overland.”
She pokes me with her foot under the table and I give her a slow, lazy wink. I feel … I don't know what I feel right now, but it's not a normal feeling. It's … weird and warm and fuzzy. I think I'm getting … like, butterflies or something? Do dudes get butterflies? What the fuck?
I sit up and feel my half-lidded contentment sliding away from my face. Brooke notices and gets stiff, sitting up suddenly in her seat.
“What's wrong?” she asks, a note of panic in her voice. Aww, man. Now I'm scaring the poor girl. It doesn't get anymore awkward than this.
“I just … I need a second.” I gently scoot Sadie away from the table and make a quick rush toward the men's room, barricading myself into the kitschy blue and white bathroom. A fake fish stares at me from the wall as I try to catch my breath, turning and looking at myself in the mirror. I look like the same guy, but I feel weird.
I think I'm getting my first real crush.