On the drive back to Hayden’s place, he made her laugh more by telling her about Joe and Helena’s latest fight. “They were arguing about which of them is more likable. Comparing how many friends they have and why.”
“Oh my God.” She touched her fingertips to her smile.
“Yeah. It was actually hilarious, because at that moment everyone in the bar was thinking they’re both complete asses. Last week, they fought over where to put the ketchup in the fridge. Joe was insisting because it’s a tall bottle it goes on the top shelf with other tall things. Helena said it’s a condiment and therefore must go in the door.”
“Well, that is totally right. Everyone knows the condiments go in the door.”
“Absolutely not. The door is for small shit that gets lost in the back of the fridge.”
“Like what?”
“Um…capers.”
She stared at him. “Capers? Seriously?”
“I’m just yanking your chain. I don’t give a shit where stuff goes in the fridge. And I sure as hell wouldn’t spend a lot of time arguing over it. I’d rather fuck than fight.”
“Oh.”
“Speaking of fucking, we have some sexy toe sucking to get back to.”
“I think you were not being completely honest about the foot fetish thing.”
He smiled. “There are probably some other kinky things we could explore if you’re not into feet.” Oh, hell yeah. There were a million things he still wanted to do to her. The taste of her pussy had become addictive, along with the feel of her mouth on him and the way she kissed and…yeah, he was hooked.
Chapter 18
“I can’t believe you’ve never been to the Sunny Jim Sea Cave.”
Hayden tipped her head back, smiling, the sun warm on her face with Beck’s convertible roof open as they cruised along I-5 a few weeks later on a Saturday afternoon. “I can’t believe it either.”
Beck had been taking her on a series of “adventures,” some tame like this one, others more daring. He’d been careful of her dislike of surprises but still managed to create excitement for her every time they saw each other, and had been considerate of her busy work schedule and need to help out her aunt and uncle.
He had to work tonight but they’d have the day. He’d given her instructions about footwear, because the steps through the tunnel into the cave could be slippery. Since she liked to be well prepared, she’d Googled the cave to learn more about it.
“What happened to dinner in a nice restaurant as a date?” she asked.
“What?” He shot her a sideways look as he drove.
“You’re taking me to a cave. We’ve gone go-karting and mountain biking, and now you’re taking me on a date to a cave. Some guys would make dinner reservations at Emilio’s.” She named a pricey restaurant in Coronado that she’d never been to.
He laughed. “Oh, come on. You can go on a dinner date with anyone. I’m going for unique and fun, remember?”
“Right.”
The only problem with adventures instead of staid dinner dates was that you really got to know a person on a different level. And the more she got to know Beck, the more she liked him. And that was scary.
“After all, whatshisdick took you to Conquistadors on a date.”
She choked on a laugh. “Whatshisdick?”
“Whatever his name was.”
“What’s wrong with Conquistadors as a date? Hey, we sort of had a date there too.”
“Oh yeah. Right.” He paused. “And what about tonight? We’re doing another tequila tasting night. Want to come?” Another pause. “That sounded dirty, didn’t it?”
“Only in your dirty mind.”
“You’re getting to know me so well.”
She grinned and pushed her sunglasses higher on her nose. Yes, she was getting to know him better, but even so she had a sense that there was much about himself he was holding back. But then, she was trying to keep her emotions safe behind walls too. “I guess I could come try more tequila. Maybe you’ll have something special to show me in the back again.”
“Oh, baby. I’ve definitely got something special to show you.”
Amusement bubbled inside her and she felt amazingly carefree and light. It was a gorgeous day and she was with a gorgeous man in a gorgeous car, and she felt pretty damn good about that. Even though they were behind on their research into messenger RNA therapeutics for treating cardiovascular disease, and she’d been working late every day on her presentation for next week’s health-care conference.
It only took about fifteen minutes to get from her place to the cave on Coast Boulevard. They entered a small, brown-shingled storefront.