Page 72 of The Great Dating Fake Off
The surprise must show on my face. “I—well, yeah. I did.”
He chuckles under his breath as he shifts past me. “C’mon. One game. Then if you want to go, I’ll walk you back. I don’t like you near the lake alone at night.”
A small dam bursts somewhere in my body, flooding me with heat. “Because of potential resort criminals?”
“Resort criminals, bears—”
“Bears?”
“You are so easy to rile up.” His laugh is delicious, even if it’s at my expense. “Don’t worry, the bears are higher up in the mountains. They don’t like us much, either.”
I eye the door. “How sure are we about that?”
He moves toward the air hockey table. “Guess you’ll have to take my word for it. Come grab your striker. Promise I’ll go easy on you.”
My heartbeat is a raging rhythm in my ears.Somehow, I don’t believe he will.
And I don’t think I want him to.
Chapter Twenty
Sebastian
One of us has to be the brakes tonight, and since I already lost control in her car, it’ll have to be me.Not that my body agrees.
It’d be easier if she’d stop staring at me across the table with those siren eyes and sexy black frames, biting her lip as she concentrates, and playing like this simple game is of Olympic importance. It’s a little too cute how seriously she’s taking this.
She leans forward to reach for the puck, and for the umpteenth time since we started this game, I spot the red lace of her bra. That image is going to be burned into my subconscious.
Tonight, if she’s merciful enough to visit me in my dreams, I’m not letting myself wake up.
“Whoops,” I say blandly as I let her sink another goal.
She points an accusatory finger. “You barely moved to block it.”
“Must’ve been distracted.”
“Relatable.” Her smoky gaze holds mine across the table. “It’s kind of surprising our paths never crossed before all this. Before you came into my work, I’d never even seen you at a grocery store. Where do you shop?”
Before she can so much as blink, I sink a goal. “Instacart is a hell of a drug.”
Her laugh is incredulous. “Fine. Keep your secrets.”
“I shop at North Shore Farms once a week because Nella likes a certain kind of produce. I live with her in Spruce Heights. Her house needed a lot of work, and I wanted to take care of it. Plus, since Great River was always a short-term plan, I wanted to enjoy my time with her.”
“I get that.” The loud, obnoxious sound of the puck ricocheting off the wall feels at odds with the tone of her voice. “I don’t know how you do it. All that starting over.”
“Kinda nice to know so many people in so many different places.” I work to keep the defensive edge out of my voice. “Like if I’m ever in the swamplands of Florida and don’t want to eat at Mr. Bell’s Biscuits alone, I’ll have friends to drag along with me. And fresh starts are fun. Why do you think so many people make New Year’s Resolutions?”
“The allure of change and very good marketing by Peloton and 24 Hour Fitness?”
I spit out a laugh. “Fair enough.”
Her smile is good-natured. “I bet you two have a great time as roomies.”
“We’ve got our things. Poker once a week with Alessia and whoever else we can wrangle. I keep her company while she watches the worst hour-long dramas you’ve ever seen in your life. She’s a fantastic cook, so I exploit that. Her red sauce kept my teammates on my good side in high school. Seriously, I think they liked me only because I had them over once a week for dinner and she spoiled the crap out of them with baked ziti, spaghetti, you name it.”
“I wish my cooking had that kind of power. I’d love to be able to impress people. Think she’ll teach me what’s in her sauce if I befriend her at the pool?”
