Page 63

“Nothing wrong with adding a little spice!” Arrow told them.

The women burst into laughter, and so did I.

“Give him a chance to show you some spice, sweetheart,” Nora purred, and Vera howled.

“Did she just howl?” I asked.

“She did.”

We stared at the interesting women as they disappeared around the corner.

“What just happened at this grocery store?” I asked. “It’s like a scene out of some strange sitcom.”

“The Checkout.” He slung an arm around my shoulder.

“What?”

“That’s what the sitcom should be called.”

We both stood in the sauce aisle laughing like idiots. The laughter was exactly what I needed to release the tension in me.

After a few more seconds, I gathered myself and looked at him. “Why are you here?”

“I came to ask you if you’d like to have dinner with me.”

My SSG mission of A Kiss is Not Enough came to mind. I’d always wondered if he’d move on after he got the date he wanted. Would one date be enough for him?

“Duel with me. This won’t be like the sparring at the gym,” I said. “The loser has to do what the winner asks.”

“Okay,” he agreed instantly.

“But I didn’t give you the rules yet.”

“I don’t care about the rules.” He shrugged, looking too confident. “I’m gonna win, and you’re going to be my girlfriend.”

It was a firm statement with no room for errors.

“When and where?” he asked.

“I haven’t thought of that yet.”

“Think fast and tell me.”

I hadn’t gotten that far. I needed to digest everything that had occurred today before I could plan my mission.

Arrow accompanied me for the rest of the shopping trip as though we were a couple. Somehow, heinvited himself to my home for when I madeph?.

His phone rang, and he picked up the call while I got milk and eggs.

“I’ve got to go.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “I have to return the friendly gesture you gave me yesterday.” Something flashed in his eyes. “You just gave me the courage to do something I feared most.”

“What’s that?”

“Going to the dentist. See you in a few days.”

Then he left me standing there perplexed, aroused, and excited.

CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN