Page 26 of Let's Call a Truce
“Stop being charming, with the smoldering and the smiles.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, his brow furrowed as he leaned toward me. “I hate to have to tell you this, but you just gave me a compliment.”
I glowered at him. “Do you want to get food or not?”
“Yup,” he said, flipping his keys around his fingers. “Let’s get to our nondate.”
“Nothing fancy, and you aren’t paying for my meal.”
He lifted his hands in front of him in a sign of submission, but his crooked smile made it less believable. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He laughed as he passed me. He paused right by my side, looking down. “And for the record, I never said I hated you.”
My mind reeled, but I let him lead me out of the building and a few blocks down to a tiny Thai place. Ben left me out front to check on the wait as he trudged through the packed lobby. I leaned against the wall, enjoying the sounds of the city, when a voice came from down the sidewalk.
“Juliana Ryan?” I turned to see Mike Jameson walking toward me with a giant smile splitting his face.
Mike and I met during my first and only foray into dating apps. When I mentioned to Asia I might be ready to get back out there, she created profiles on every dating site by the end of the day.
“Hey there, Mike. It’s been a while.”
The girls went to a sleepaway camp for three weeks this past summer, a gift from Jason’s parents that they knew I couldn’t afford otherwise. I figured it was as good a time as any to explore my options and try to tame my raging libido. He was kind and cute, and we had a nice three-week fling. But I wasn’t interested in moving forward once my kids came back home. I’d never consider bringing my kids into the mix unless it was something spectacular.
Not that the sex was bad. It was pleasant enough while it was happening, but I felt nothing afterward. Even after almost fifteen years with Jason, the sex still left me breathless. Mike was the only man I slept with besides the one I married, and I worried the combination of emotional and physical connection was a once-in-a-lifetime thing.
“Yeah, it has. I’ve missed you.” He stepped closer into my space. “I’ve been meaning to give you a call for a while now.”
I slid away, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry for disappearing. After my kids came home, finding time for dating was a lot harder.”
“Is it still too hard to find time for dating?” He raised his eyebrows, leaning in farther. I fought off a grimace.
A heavy arm landed around my shoulders, and I looked up to find Ben regarding Mike with a flat, dismissive stare.
“Not too hard,” he said, pulling me closer until our bodies were touching from shoulder to foot. Heat shot through my veins. The memory of that kiss—of his hands skimming the lines of my body—was too fresh. I went to move away, but Ben’s grip tightened.
Mike took a quick step back, taking him in. Ben was a good head taller than him; bulkier, too.
“Congratulations. You’re a lucky man. Juliana, if anything ever changes, you have my number.” Mike gave us a small wave and continued down the sidewalk.
When I was sure Mike was out of range, I pushed Ben off me, desperate for space and to put us back on solid ground. “What the hell was that?”
“I was trying to help.”
“By staking your claim on me like a caveman? We kiss once and then you act like a dog pissing all over a fire hydrant.”
Ben lifted his hands in submission. “Okay. I swear I thought I was helping. I came back out of the restaurant, and this guy was on top of you. You looked like you wanted to melt into the sidewalk. I thought I’d scare him off and help you out. I should have known you’d be the type to want to fight your own battles.”
Our gazes held for a minute, sizing each other up before I nodded.
“Forgiven. And that may have been an overreaction. I’m working on not expecting the worst from you.”
His answering smile did funny things to my chest. “They can seat us, by the way.”
“In front of the ten groups waiting outside?”
“I know a guy.” He led me inside, through the restaurant to a small table back in the kitchen. A handsome Thai man in his late thirties made his way over and pulled Ben into a tight hug. “It’s good to see you, man.”
“It’s been months, Ben. Where the hell have you been?”
“I’m sorry. Things have been so busy. Niran, this is Juliana.” He smiled as he led me forward to meet his friend. “Niran and I were roommates when he studied abroad here. We reconnected when he moved over permanently to open his restaurant. He makes the best Thai food outside of Thailand.”
