As he began slicing the pineapple, he smiled and extended a piece to me across the island. “Are you a picky eater?”
“Not usually. I like to experiment.”
“So you’ll let me feed you whatever I want?”
My eyebrows jumped.
“I was talking about pineapple-cream cheese-cashew surprise. But I like the way you’re thinking better.”
The flirty banter was back, and the awkwardness from the living room seemed to be behind us, though I still felt the need to address it.
I looked up at him and spoke softly. “I’m sorry about before—for picking up the guitar and helping myself to it. I shouldn’t have done that. It looked like it upset you.”
He looked away briefly. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’s been collecting dust for years anyway. Someone should play it.”
“You don’t play?”
“No, I don’t.”
He offered nothing else, so I left it be.
The bizarre sandwiches he made us turned out to be delicious, and we sat in the kitchen, talking as we ate.
“This house is beautiful,” I told him. “I’ll admit, I would have guessed you more of a penthouse/highrise type than a brownstone guy before today. But seeing this, it fits you.”
“Oh yeah? I’m not really sure what that means. Is it good?”
I smiled. “It is.”
“Tell me, does Brice live in a penthouse or a brownstone?”
“Bryant. And he lives in a regular apartment building, I guess. Like me.”
“And is that the type of guy you normally go for?”
“My type seems to be more the liars, losers, and leeches. I haven’t had the best luck in my love life the last…I don’t know…dozen or so years.”
“Is that all, just a dozen years? It’s a dry spell. I’m sure it will clear up any day.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Tell me about Barclay. Which one is he? Liar, loser, or leech?”
I shook my head. “Bryant isn’t any of them.” Popping the last piece of the snack Chase had made into my mouth, I figured it was his turn to talk. But he didn’t. Instead he watched me chew and waited for me to continue. “I’m pretty sure he’s a genuinely nice guy.”#p#分页标题#e#
“So why haven’t you slept with him yet?”
“I think you have an unhealthy obsession with my sex life. This is, like, the third time you’ve asked me about my relationship with Bryant.”
Chase shrugged. “I’m curious.”
“About my sex life?”
“Or lack thereof. Yes.”
“Why?”
“I honestly have no fucking clue.”
“Well…when was the last time you had sex?”
Chase sat back in his seat and folded his arms over his chest. “Before I met you.”
I had no idea where the conversation was going or what it meant, but every nerve in my body was excited we were having it.
“Dry spell?” I asked.
“You could say that,” he responded.
“I could say that? What kind of an answer is that? Is there anything else I could say?”
Chase leaned in. “You could say I’m waiting for the woman I really want to sleep with to become available so I can make my move.”
I swallowed. We sat in silence for a few minutes, just looking at each other. A part of me wanted to pick up the phone and break things off with Bryant, right then and there. But the other, more sane, part of me remembered that the beautiful creature sitting across the table was my boss.
“Have you ever had an office fling?” I asked, tilting my head.
I could see a million questions run through Chase’s mind. He wasn’t sure how to answer. Smartly, he settled on the truth. “I have.”
“So have I. It didn’t work out too well.”
He held my eyes, not backing down. “Shame. You know the old saying, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.” When his eyes moved from mine down to my mouth, and he licked his lips before they finally returned, I knew it was time to change the subject.
Abruptly, I stood. “How about a tour of the house?”
“Absolutely. There’s one room in particular I’d like to show you.”
Chapter 13
Reese
I was exhilarated after spending the day working, almost high. It was only me and Josh left sitting on Chase’s rooftop deck—and Chase, of course. The other four, including Lindsey, were gone. Josh and I had stayed to have a beer now that work was done.
I was sporting a ridiculously large smile. “At the risk of sounding like a complete goofball, I need to tell you, today was amazing. I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed working on anything this much. I’m not sure I ever have.”