When she glanced at Austin's perplexed expression, she began laughing even harder, finding it hard to breathe. He started patting her back and she tried to suck in breaths of air. Her head was starting to feel light.
"P … please … y … you have … to stop … " she gasped in between fits of laughter. He took a step back, which was wise. He was dealing with a crazy woman, after all, she thought. One minute she was putting him at arm's length, the next yelling at him, and then her final break in sanity, had her laughing hysterically in the middle of a super-center.
After several minutes, she finally pulled herself together. He didn't say a word as she began walking again, a few more giggles slipping out.
"I need some healthy snacks. Since I'm practically living in the hospital, I'm gaining too much weight," Kinsey said as they neared the fruit section.
"You could stand to gain a bit of weight, not that you don't look great no matter what," Austin quickly told her. Ah, he was a smart man. She actually smiled at him, her first real smile in a long time. He was easy to be around – which was why she fell for his charm in the first place. She tried to remind herself of that fact, but gave up and decided to just go with the flow. It wasn't like anything could happen in a huge store.
"I'd say for our first real date, this isn't too bad," Austin said with a wink.
Kinsey stopped and looked at him like he was insane.
"This isn't a date."
"I carried you inside, helped undress you, and am now shopping. I choose to believe it's a date," he countered.
"Fine, but then you're a cheap date. I didn't even get flowers."
"You want flowers? I'll buy you a room full," he said with a gleam in his eyes that worried her. She knew he would indeed buy them if she didn't put a stop to it.
"I was just kidding. I have no room for flowers," she warned.
"There's always room for flowers."
She quickly changed the subject, hoping to distract him.
"Why aren't you married like the rest of your family?" That stopped him in his tracks.
"I don't know. I just never found someone I could see myself spending the rest of my life with," he hedged.
"What about kids? You do so great with your nieces and nephews."
"I love those little rugrats. I can't believe how amazing they are. A few years ago I would've been convinced I wasn't father material, but now … " he trailed off.
Kinsey was shocked by his answer. She'd been trying to make him uncomfortable so he'd drop the whole dating thing, not find more reasons to like him. She could easily picture him with a baby girl in his arms, his face beaming with pride. Her imagination took over and she could see herself beside him.
No!
She couldn't afford to go there. He already told her he wasn't planning on getting married, that he hadn't found anyone worth making that commitment. He wanted to sleep with her, sure, but he didn't want to put a ring on her finger. Besides, she didn't want that, either. Right? Oh, she was so confused. She just needed a good night's rest. That was all.
Their gazes locked. She could practically feel the steam rising from their damp bodies. One word, that's all it would take for her to have the most fantastic night of her life, but she didn't want that … She really didn't, she reminded herself.
Finally, she managed to tear her gaze away. She took a step forward, grabbing random items as she tried distracting herself. Without realizing what she was doing, she grabbed a box of condoms, tossing it in the cart.
I'm stronger than this. A way-too-sexy-for-his-own-good guy isn't what I need right now. He's the brother-in-law of my best friend. An affair with him would be awkward. I can't even go there. She repeated those sentences over and over in her head. She couldn't fight him, and herself, too. She'd cave – she knew she would.
Austin had stopped and was staring at her with fire burning in his eyes. She looked at him, wondering what was going on. Then he reached into the cart and pulled out the condoms, a confident grin on his face.
"Thank you," he practically purred. Then, he laughed, pleasure obvious as he went on and on.
Kinsey looked at the box of extra-large condoms and her face flamed. She quickly pushed ahead, too mortified to comment. She was hoping the floor would just go ahead and swallow her up right there.
He quickly caught up to her, and they were silent as they strolled through the store over the next twenty minutes. She grabbed a few more items, but she wanted to be done. Once she had everything she needed, they started making their way to the checkout stands. The sooner the trip was over, the faster she could regain her sanity. She knew once she was away from him, she'd remember all the reasons not to date – or sleep with – the very confident and gorgeous Austin.