Page 53 of The Hook Up
He meant it, too. He loved that she wasn’t afraid to get dirty, in all senses of the word. Figuring he should stop gaping at her legs, he turned and popped the top on the first bottle, then poured some into each long-stemmed glass.
Handing one to Ellie, he pulled the second glass toward him. Then he tore open the accompanying package of crackers, frowning at the label that touted them as gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and dairy-free.
“Holy spunk-trumpet,” he muttered. “What’s even in these things?”
Ellie snorted into her wineglass, fanning herself as she set it down on his desk. “You’re the most creative curser of anyone I’ve ever met,” she said. “I can’t believe you learned that from your grandmother.”
“She was British,” he said. “I think that’s where some of it came from.”
Ty shoved a cardboard-tasting cracker in his mouth and chewed, fighting back the wave of nostalgia that made his stomach churn. Or maybe that was the cracker. He took a sip of kombucha to wash it down, then made a face.
“God, that’s awful,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Ellie set down her own glass and grimaced. “But now that you mention it, the flavor profile is…um…interesting.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
“It tastes like Rice-a-Roni mixed with raspberry jam and bubblegum.”
Ty laughed as he turned the bottle around and peered at the label. “Apparently they were going for Sageberry Sunrise, whatever the hell that is.”
“Huh.” Ellie took another sip and grimaced. “Maybe it’s an acquired taste.”
“Let’s try another flavor.” Ty emptied both glasses into an empty Big Gulp cup on the edge of his desk, then pried the top off another bottle. He poured smaller servings this time, having learned his lesson.
That’s the only lesson you seem to have learned,his subconscious chided.You weren’t supposed to get attached here, remember?
Ty shook his head and focused on pouring the kombucha. He wasn’t falling for Ellie. Just sleeping with her, that’s all.
“Gah!” he muttered as the bubbly beverage foamed over the edge of the glass, spilling onto a stack of papers. “Filthy wank stain.”
“Exactly,” Ellie said as she grabbed a wad of tissues from the box on his desk and sponged up the mess. Ty relocated the paperwork to the opposite corner, while Ellie sat back down and picked up her glass.
“So your grandma had British roots and the world’s most creative swearword vocabulary,” she said. “What else did you get from her?”
Ty mopped the corner of his laptop with a Kleenex, only half focused on his answer. “The knowledge that everyone either leaves you or dies, so there’s no sense getting attached to anyone, ever.”
Holy shit.Did he just say that out loud?
He glanced up to see Ellie looking as stunned as he felt.
Embarrassed, Ty picked up his glass and took a big gulp. He tried to laugh, hoping to convince her he’d been joking, but all he managed to do was inhale an extra-big helping of foul-tasting kombucha.
“Wow.” Ellie took a dainty sip of her own drink. “I was thinking more like eye color or the ability to touch your nose with your tongue. That’s—I’m sorry, Ty. It sounds like you had it rough.”
“It wasn’t that bad.” He cleared his throat, wanting to convince himself as much as he wanted to convince her. “I’m fine now.”
He shook his head and set his glass down, feeling like the biggest dumbass on the planet. Why had he said that? He didn’t share personal details with anyone.Anyone.Why was he blurting out his deepest secrets to Ellie?
Because you like her. A lot more than you meant to.
The thought left a funny taste in his mouth. Or maybe that was the kombucha.
“Ugh.” He took another tentative sip, but the flavor hadn’t improved. “This one tastes like feet.”
“No, not feet.” Ellie took another dainty sip, seemingly unfazed by Ty’s inability to have a normal human conversation. How did she do that?
She gave him a thoughtful look and set her glass down. “More like cheese mixed with mud.”
