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“And I’m a free man.”

“And you’re a free man.” Her voice lowers, taking on a raspy note.

What the hell is happening?

She covers both my hands with her free one. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but here goes nothing.” She takes a deep breath and pins me with her gaze. “Joe, do you want to spend the night together?”

My eyes bulge out as I swallow my tongue. What?

Looking embarrassed, Liz starts pulling her hand from mine. “Sorry, I thought we had a moment... I’m sorry I misunderstood.”

“Yes. Fuck yes.” I grab both her hands. I’m never letting them out of my grip again. “Yes, I want to spend the night with you. Sorry it took me a second.—I told you I was rusty and this was unexpected. But yes. Absolutely yes. Yes.”

She smiles, looking young and shy and so fucking adorable. “Okay,” she says.

“So, you want to go, or stay here till the game ends?”

“I think I will lose my nerve if we stay any longer.” She gulps down half her glass. “Maybe I should get something stronger. In case the nerves start to catch up with me.”

“Look, you can rescind the offer anytime you want, you know that, right?”

“You might be the one bailing on me when you see my granny panties and the fact I haven’t shaved my legs in weeks.”

I laugh. “I don’t care about your underwear as I will be promptly taking it off. And I couldn’t care less about body hair.”

“My hero,” she says with a smile.

“So, you wanna come to my place?”

“I don’t think so. It feels like it might be a little too much.”:

“Yours then?”

“I’d rather not.”

“What then? A hotel?”

“A hotel would work.”

I pull up my phone and search for options nearby, blood whooshing through my head. I’m nervous and excited and incredulous. “Here are the nearest three...” I say.

“This one.” She points. “Get a king-size bed.”

“We really doing this?”

She meets my eyes. “We’re really doing this.”

Fucking hell. I down my beer and get up. “I need to go to the bathroom and I‘ll settle the tab. Don’t go anywhere.”

She sits prim and proper, knees pressed together. “I will not move a muscle.”

I go to the restroom and take the world’s fastest leak, then get some condoms from the vending machine. Thank God it’s there.

I check my phone quickly and see Lance has texted me.

Lance: Sorry to cancel last minute but Millie started running a fever and vomiting

I couldn’t leave Sarah to deal with the kids alone