Page 19 of The Heartbreaker

“I do tonight.”

As he walked into the living room, where there was a wet bar along the side, I continued to look around, and that was when I noticed his daughter’s stuff. The stack of coloring books on the corner of the counter. The small pink chair next to the oversizesectional. The box of toys on the opposite wall of the wet bar. Her drawings taped to the fridge. The pink stuffed horse on the couch. The cookie jar by the stovetop with pink sprinkle cookies inside.

Details that were positively adorable.

“I picked up this bottle during my last trip to Napa. Let’s see if it’s any good,” he said, returning to the kitchen, where he unscrewed the top and poured some of the wine into two glasses. He handed me one and held up his. “To our first date.” The most seductive look came across his face, and it made me blush. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.” I took a drink, the wine tart and crisp, just how I liked it. As I swallowed, I peeked at the staircase, wondering if I needed to keep my voice down. “Is your daughter here?”

He huffed. “No. She’s with her mom this week.”

“So, you have all the time and freedom to get in all kinds of trouble, just like you have tonight.” I winked.

“You call this trouble?” He grazed my waist, and it was enough pressure that it sent a spark right through me.

“What would you call it, then?”

“I’d call this tame. But remember, I haven’t touched you yet, Addy. When and if I do, that’s not the description I’d use.”

As though it was the most natural thing, he licked across his lips, and my mind went straight to the movement of his tongue.

“I’m not really the trouble-finding type of guy, if I’m being honest.” He set his wine down and lifted me onto the counter, placing me along the edge of the large island, and he stood in front of me. “You’re assuming I do this a lot, I’m guessing, and I don’t. Do I hook up with women? Sure. I’m certainly not celibate. But compared to my friends, I’m nothing like them. Don’t forget, my ex is on the road more often than she’s not, so I have my daughter about three weeks a month.”

I was surprised by how easily he had lifted me, how light I’d felt in his arms even though he only held me for a few seconds. And I was just as shocked that when his hands left me, when one returned to his glass and the other flattened on the counter beside me, I missed them.

Because they felt so much better on me than off me.

“That must be a hard balance for her and your daughter—I know, if I were a mom, I’d want to be with my little one every night.”

He nodded. “My ex has a great job, and she loves it. She’s a celebrity makeup artist. She wouldn’t make the same kind of money if she was stationed just in LA. It’s hard for her, for sure, but it works for us, and they FaceTime several times a day, so even though she’s gone, they see each other constantly.”

“That’s a cool gig.”

“You know how your sister has these wild stories from the emergency department? You should hear the shit my ex tells me about celebrities.” He gripped the back of his neck. “She sees and hears some of the craziest stuff.”

“I’m impressed you even listen to her stories.”

He laughed. “What is that supposed to mean?”

I kicked my legs into the air. “From my experience, men aren’t the best listeners, and as far as retaining, forget about it. In one ear and out the other.”

He laughed even harder. “Damn, you’re tough.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Quiz me,” he demanded.

“On what?”

“On anything you’ve told me tonight. I’ll prove to you I was listening.” He wiped his lips even though nothing was there.

The thing was, I hadn’t really told him much about myself. I’d done that intentionally. I didn’t want to get in too deep—yetI was at his house, sitting on his counter, and he was standing between my legs. So, my entire plan had gone to hell.

“Hmm.” I did a mental scan of our entire evening together. “I ordered an extra ingredient in my ramen. What was it?”

“Cilantro.”

I took a drink of wine, floored that he’d gotten that one right. “I mentioned that I cheered. Was it in high school or college?”