“So you owe me another chance then. Come see if I’ve been practicing.”
For a moment, I considered it. It would be fun, and the pool behind the Haas family’s home was beautiful. But it just didn’t feel right, going swimming alone with Miles at night. Other than the almost night, I had never been tempted to cheat on Dan, but there was some kind of spark between Miles and me that I worried could ignite if we were alone and close, especially the way I was feeling today. Better to avoid the situation entirely. “I don’t think so, Miles. I’ll just run over to the gym, get my laps done, and meet you later. OK?”
“Scared I’ll be too tempting in my swim trunks?”
I laughed. “Yeah. That’s it.”
“I knew it. Plus there’s no water in the pool here yet.”
“Miles! What were you going to do if I said yes and showed up in my bathing suit?”
“Try to get you out of it.”
I sighed, shaking my head. “I’ll meet you at seven thirty. Jolly Pumpkin?”
“Sounds good.”
? ? ?
Miles was sitting at the bar when I entered the restaurant, a little late because I’d gone back and forth so many times about what to wear. I wanted to look cute but casual, not too sexy but not too demure. Eventually I went with jeans and a sleeveless white top. Skylar probably would have added a necklace or something to look more trying-but-not-trying, but I didn’t have time to hunt for the perfect thing, not that I would recognize it. The colorful flowers inked on my upper arm were usually enough ornamentation for me anyway. I did wear the shiny gold sandals Jillian had given me for my birthday last month, but only because they were flat and I knew I could walk quickly in them.
“Hi.” I slid onto the seat next to him, a little out of breath from rushing. “Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re fine, I just got here.” He reached up and mussed my shoulder-length hair, which was still damp from the shower. “How was the swim?”
“Good.” I set my bag near my feet. “How was your afternoon?”
“Excellent. I napped a little more and then I took a run.”
The bartender set a glass of beer down in front of Miles. “What can I get for you?” he asked me.
“I’ll have the same.” I gestured to Miles’s drink.
“A Bam Bière? You got it.”
“Could we get the pulled pork nachos?” Miles asked, looking at the menu. “And the truffle french fries?”
“Sure thing.” The bartender glanced at me. “Are you sharing? Or would you like something else?”
“Um…” I glanced at Miles.
“I’ll always share my pork with you, Natalie,” he said tenderly. “I’ll even let you pull it.”
I sighed and looked at the bartender. “I’ll share with him.”
“Is this new?” Miles ran his fingertips over my tattoo, and the way I felt the effects of his touch between my legs made me shift in my chair. “It’s beautiful.”
“Not too new. I got it last year, when I turned twenty-five. A gift to myself.” I shrugged, trying to ignore the way my female parts were tingling. “I’d always wanted it and finally worked up the nerve.”
“What were you nervous about? The pain?”
I slugged his shoulder. “Come on, you know me better than that. I guess just the commitment. It is permanent, after all. Tattoos shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
Miles raised his eyebrows. “Well, for being nervous, you didn’t hold back. How many sessions did that take?”
“Several. I figured if I was gonna do it, I was gonna be all in.” I tilted my head. “I’m like that with a lot of things, actually.”
“Does Dan like it?” He said it casually as he picked up his beer, but it sounded like a bit of a challenge. Should I admit Dan wasn’t crazy about tattoos and was a huge reason why I’d waited so long to get mine?
“He does,” I said carefully. “He’s just not that into tattoos in general.”
Miles nodded. “Think you’ll get another one?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. How about you?” Miles had gotten his first tattoo when he was eighteen, probably to spite his mother, but he’d added a fair amount of ink since. His left arm was pretty much covered. I wondered if he had anything on his chest or back and felt warmth bloom between my legs. So I crossed them. Tight.
“Maybe. If I feel like it. Like you said, it’s a commitment.” He set his glass down. “Probably the only kind of commitment I will ever make.”
I elbowed him. “Probably.”
Over a couple beers apiece, the nachos, french fries, and later a wild mushroom pizza, we caught each other up on family news, laughed over childhood memories and some of the articles he’d written, and talked about our jobs, our workout regimens, and our plans for the summer. He told me about the book he was writing, and I gushed about the new house. It was as easy to be with Miles as it ever was, and we went back and forth between serious topics and joking around.