Catch Him(13)

“You are virginal. It’s nearly the same thing.”

“After everything I told you about my dad, you have to know I’m not innocent about… life. I’ve seen the good and the bad and the shades in between. I think you might be a little jaded and just looking at me through a different lens.”

He dropped the kitchen tool he was using to shave the garlic into thin slices. “Perhaps you’re right.”

“You said your last relationship was toxic. Was she an addict?”

“In a manner of speaking. I kept wanting to save her and she didn’t want to be saved.”

“Sometimes we need to be our own heroes. You know? I’m not talking about feminist stuff or anything. I mean every man and every woman wants to feel like they have control over their destiny. When they get into trouble, and they find their own way to dig out, it means something.”

He looked at her intently. “Innocent and wise. That’s an interesting combination.”

Sinead smiled as she sipped her wine. “I like the way you see me. I’m this completely ordinary person. Everyone who knows me would say the same thing. Yet you keep saying all this nice stuff. I’m not going to lie, there are times I feel like I’m being played and then I think I don’t care, because I like it.”

“Being played?”

“You know. Charming me so you can get into my pants.”

“My dear,” he said in the haughtiest accent he’d used with her since she’d met him. “It wasn’t me pushing my tongue into your mouth earlier. You started it.”

Sinead smiled smugly and drank more wine. “I did.”

The night progressed with some of the best steak she’d ever eaten. He’d made them in a cast iron skillet while constantly basting the meat with butter and garlic. Then baked potatoes, which he had topped with sour cream and the spinach with even more garlic.

After dinner Sinead excused herself and made her way back to what she imagined was the master bedroom, although it wasn’t much bigger than the guest room. In there was a connected bathroom with a toothbrush and toothpaste sitting out on the counter. Along with other male- oriented toiletries.

She wasn’t bold enough to use someone else’s toothbrush, but she had no qualms about using some toothpaste on her finger. While swishing it around her mouth, she popped her head around the bathroom door to check out the bedroom. No point in trying to read anything from the decor as it wasn’t his, but she did notice that he’d made the bed.

It was another one of her father’s idioms he always liked to say. There were people in life who made their beds, and there were people who didn’t.

The O’Haras made their beds. Apparently the Whitmores did too. Then she saw the picture on the dresser. The wedding David had attended. A picture of the couple. They were handsome and happy. She thought it was strange a divorced man would keep a picture of his wedding day on his dresser, but as David had said it was the best day of their relationship.

Maybe David’s friend cherished the memory.

Sinead made her way back out to the hall and into the living room. “It’s a good thing they didn’t have kids.”

David was sitting on the couch. He had the TV remote in his had and was channel surfing in the fine tradition of all men. He looked up at her as if he didn’t follow her non-sequitur.

“Your friend and his wife. I see wedding photos but no baby pictures.”

“Mm, yes,” he muttered even as he was focused on the TV. “A very good thing. I’m not certain he’s father material.”

Sinead sat next to him, feeling a little uncertain. He hadn’t actually asked her to stay. She wasn’t necessarily sure what the protocol for this sort of thing was. She couldn’t remember wanting someone as badly as she wanted David. Not even her first lover, her freshman year of college.

Did she simply ask him for sex? Did she wait for him to make the first move? Did he even want that? He said he had enough control for dinner. Was that really all he wanted tonight?

Their earlier kiss suggested there was a strong attraction on both sides, but he’d made no move since then. Now he was watching the nightly news. Nothing said not interested in her more than staring at Brian Williams. Most likely the whole virginal innocent thing was finally starting to translate to what she really was, which was fairly boring.

Boring was a definite turn off.

“I should probably go,” she said, looking at anything but him. Feeling self-conscious when only moments before she’d felt like the most interesting woman in the world. “I’ll just call an Uber, no need to drive me.”