Chasing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 4) Page 8

  Alexa blew the edge off her irritation with a laugh. “That’s pretty gutsy. How did it go? Were her parents impressed with you?”

  “I guess, but it was awful.” Graham swiped a palm over his grin, sputtering his first words through manicured fingers. “Her mother kept winking at me and giving me sly thumbs up.”

  He punched the air enthusiastically with the gesture and a crazy smile. “When her parents left, I asked her why she did that to me. She didn’t think it was a problem. ‘After all, we’re getting serious.’ I disagreed, and that was all she wrote.”

  “Not all women are in a hurry to lock a man down.” Argument turned up the pitch in her voice.

  “I see. So, what do you want?”

  “Good times. Interesting conversation.”

  His lids lowered over his darkening brown eyes. “Friendly conversation. Isn’t that what we decided?”

  “Yes.”

  “We can be friends, right? Regardless of what’s gone on before.”

  “I can manage that. Does that mean this isn’t a real date?”

  “It’s a date, but it’s good that we’re on the same page. You’re getting me all liquored up, and I don’t want you to take advantage of me.”

  “And what? Have my parents and my grandmother pop up from behind the bar? Maybe there’s a minister back there too, and we can get hitched before dessert.”

  Graham shivered as if she’d doused him with ice water, then laughed and took tug of whiskey. “Are you getting dessert? You’re eating so healthy. It makes me feel guilty.”

  “Order what you want. I am probably going to skip dessert since I’m drinking.”

  “There must be something someone could offer to tempt you out of your hard-core eating habits. What’s your diet kryptonite?”

  Alexa squinted as she grasped for her dietary weakness. “I like candy. I’m especially fond of Skittles. I also like M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces—all the tiny candies that you can eat by the handful and blow your diet. I make sure to keep them out of the house, except for emergencies.”

  “So much discipline. It’s impressive.”

  “It’s practiced discipline. Back when I used to model, I couldn’t afford to let my diet go to hell. Gain too much weight, and it’s money out of my pocket. I’ve always been a very serious businesswoman—slash party girl.” The mildness of her tone softened the dig.

  “I have a weakness for almost everything. Potato chips, French fries, burgers, ice cream. I’ll do candy. Snickers bars might be the world’s most perfect food.”

  “I think quinoa might have something to say about that. Or kale or blueberries. Super foods, Graham. You’ve got to get your super foods.”

  “But Snickers satisfies.”

  “There are other, less fattening ways to satisfy.”

  His eyes and smile turned wicked. “Really? Tell me more.”

  “A nice hot, wet…bowl of oatmeal, for example. Fiber is very filling.”

  Graham’s grin widened as he scrunched his brow and shook his head. “Disappointing.”

  Before Alexa could respond, the screech of a microphone too close to a speaker turned everyone’s attention to one end of the bar. A shaggy-haired guy in a flannel shirt fiddled with a switch on the mic, then tapped it. He introduced himself and launched into the rules for trivia.

  “At the end of each round, we’ll come by and collect your answer sheets, and if we miss you, go ahead and bring it up front. Tempting as it is, no phones. No cheating. Remember, it’s all in good fun.”

  * * *

  Their fields of random knowledge complemented each other, yielding a perfect score through the first two rounds of trivia. What Alexa didn’t know about the Beatles, Graham could answer instantly, and she surprised him again with her grasp of all things scientific. The periodic table, the solar system, and anatomy—Alexa handled all of the topics with ease.

  “Do you go home at night and study science books?”

  “I read things and watch science shows on TV.” Alexa moved her empty cocktail glass to the edge of the table for the passing busboy, and her pencil rolled off the table. “Then, it’s like any of these ridiculous questions. You’ve collected random factoids along the way, and half the battle is being able to pull them out of your ass when required. I have good ass-to-brain recall.”

  Of course, Graham knew that she had a good ass, but the brain part still came as a surprise. He let the matter drop, though. Expressing continued shock that she wasn’t some bimbo would only get him into trouble.

  Her hair swung to one side as she bent down to pick up the pencil. His eyes went to the sweep of her neck, bringing to mind her stellar tattoo. At some point in the near future, he’d trace those stars with the tip of his tongue. Contemplating it made him rearrange himself in his seat. Thank God, he still had a napkin on his lap.

  The waitress cruised by their table to drop off new answer sheets, and the emcee started round three with a few pop culture questions.

  “Question four: What 2016 presidential candidate declared in a 1991 interview with Esquire magazine, ‘You know, it doesn’t really matter what the media write as long as you’ve got a young and beautiful piece of ass?’”

  Graham didn’t wait for discussion before he wrote down Donald Trump. Alexa flinched and wrinkled her nose.

  “What an absolute pig.”

  “It’s hard to take anything he says too seriously.”

  She stiffened and shot a cold look across the table. “I can’t stand him, and I find his success totally depressing.”

  Graham racked his brain for a way to humorously change the topic. He found the presidential race mostly amusing, but he could tell Alexa did not.

  “Maybe instead of talking politics, we can debate religion. Where do you stand on the infallibility of the Pope?”

  Alexa didn’t smile, but her shoulders slackened. “I’m not Catholic, so you can probably do the math.”

  “No Catholic school?”

  “Nope. I am a proud product of the Oklahoma City public school system.”

  “Too bad. I’m a fan of the outfits.”

  She threw a chip at his head. Graham deflected it, then picked it up and ate it.

  “I went to private school, but not Catholic. Unfortunately, my school was all male. We missed out on the cute, plaid skirts altogether.”

  “I suppose that’s one good thing from single-sex education. The girls can worry about their education and not horny, slobbering boys in the hallway.”

  “I’ll have you know that I never once slobbered.” Graham tilted a smile at her and popped another chip in his mouth. Alexa shook her head.

  “I’m not so sure. I think I may have seen a little spittle on New Year’s morning.”

  “Maybe so.” He leaned closer to her and grumbled in a low voice. “You gave me quite a lot to slobber over.”

  “You have a one-track mind.”

  “Not true. I’m perfectly capable of multitasking, but when I’m around you, one of those tasks is always going to be getting you back into my bed.”

  Graham steadied his eyes on her. He wasn’t sure how the conversation had taken this turn, but once it had, he was all in. If anyone would appreciate the direct approach, it would be Alexa.

  “You’re ruining the illusion that this is just a friendly date.”

  “There are varying degrees of friendly. Tell me you wouldn’t enjoy turning up the heat. You don’t normally wear a backless jumpsuit for dinner with friends, do you?”

  “I might.”

  Her brow and her mouth took prim angles. Graham wasn’t going to let her get away with pretending like she didn’t want him as much as he wanted her.

  “Bullshit. You wanted to look sexy for me. Well done, by the way.”

  Under his challenging gaze, a slight flush creeped up her neck and settled in her cheeks. Graham reached across the table and ran his fingers over her wrist. Her eyes widened, but she didn’t look away.

  “Did you hear the last quest
ion?” she asked, her voice wavering.

  Graham took hold of her hand and circled his thumb in her palm. “No. I’ve suddenly lost interest in trivia.”

  “I think it was something about the Rolling Stones. I thought you might know the answer.”

  “We’re really going to sit here and finish trivia?”

  “Yep.” She curled her fingers around his thumb, locking his hand to hers.

  “That’s a bummer. I thought I was making progress.”

  “Toward?” Her voice trailed upward as she squeezed his finger harder.

  “You. Me. Getting out of here. I’d love to show you my place.”

  She opened her hand and pulled it back. “I bet you would. Not tonight.”

  “I think you’re afraid you might like me more than you want to admit.”

  “Huh. I like you, and that’s why I won’t go home and sleep with you?”

  “Very contrarian, but yes.”

  She tapped her pencil on the edge of the table and flipped the answer sheet over and back. “The logic of that is so flawed I can’t even begin to address it.”

  Alexa turned toward the front of the room, focusing on the man delivering the questions, but Graham didn’t let it go.

  “You’re content to leave behind a trail of smoke puffs?”

  Graham knew he shouldn’t keep challenging her, but something inside him kept charging forward like Napoleon.

  Alexa flipped to face him. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud.”

  “But you did. And you thought it, so what does it matter?”

  “I would think a guy who rejects marriage-minded women like a virus would be okay with that.”

  “I don’t mind a woman who wants to get married. I think it takes time to see if that’s where a relationship is headed. That’s all. I’m open to wherever things lead.”

  “I’m not closed off to the possibilities, despite what you might think.”

  Graham’s jaw tightened. Did she even know she was lying? They could be halfway to his place by now and on their way to finding out if they were as deeply compatible as Graham suspected.

  Instead, she sat looking perturbed, clutching her pencil like it was a wand she wanted to wave and make him disappear.

  A pang of frustrated regret wound through him.

  “It’s too bad.”

  “What?”

  “You can be so free and easy with yourself—except when it comes to how you feel.”

  “Free and easy?” Her voice popped like a guitar string on a bad note.

  “You know what I mean. I’m just saying—”

  “I get what you’re saying, and I think we should change the subject.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply—”

  She waved her hand at him dismissively. “Forget it. Let’s focus on the game. I think we still have a shot at the five hundred bucks.”

  Graham had underestimated her competitive streak. The five hundred bucks didn’t happen, but they came in second and split two hundred and fifty. After collecting their prize money, she blazed her way outside and left him scurrying behind her to catch up.

  “Alexa. I honestly didn’t mean anything by what I said.”

  She turned and tilted her head, eyes narrow. “I should hope not. You and I are two sides of the same coin, and you wouldn’t want to be a hypocrite.”

  Her flash of temper raised the hairs on Graham’s arms. “No. I wouldn’t.”

  He stepped close, practically standing in the same space. She didn’t retreat.

  “Is that an apology?”

  Graham took her breathy question as an invitation. “More or less.”

  She began to lick her bottom lip, so Graham bent his head and captured her tongue. Her softness instantly made him hard.

  Graham plunged through her parted lips and wrapped his arms around her, gripping her ass. Through the drapey fabric, he felt her thong—thin straps running over her hips and disappearing. He snapped one side.

  She punched his chest and broke out of his arms. “How old are you?”

  He laughed and shoved his hands in his pockets, straining and relaxing to release energy wound in his shoulders.

  “I couldn’t help myself.” He watched the rise and fall of her chest steady.

  “Can you at least look me in the eye while you try to defend giving me a wedgie?”

  He stared straight at her face. “You gave yourself a wedgie. Isn’t that what thongs do?”

  “I can’t do this with you. You…You’re like a child.”

  “Oh, come on. We’re having fun.” The pitch in his voice turned up an octave.

  She gripped her handbag, spun, and stalked off.

  He shouted after her. “I drove. How are you getting home?”

  “I’m a big girl, Graham.”

  She didn’t turn around, and Graham took a few steps to follow.

  “But…Wait.” She kept walking. Fuck it. She was a big girl.

  He watched her flounce away, knowing he hadn’t played his hand well. But seeing her display of passion, even passionate displeasure, kept his quest alive.

  Chapter Twelve

  As if having two shitty dates in a row weren’t enough, Alexa checked her voice messages on her way out the door on Monday and got another not-very-welcome surprise.

  “Alexa, hello.”

  The soft, warm tones of Adam’s British accent made her stomach tighten.

  “It’s Adam. I know we haven’t connected on a time for me to visit, but as it turns out, I’ll be coming to the States for work in March. To Austin, no less, for the South by Southwest conference. I’m working with a client presenting there, and then I’ll be staying around in Austin for a couple of months for work. I absolutely have to see you while I’m in town. I won’t take no for an answer. Ring me back. Talk to you soon.”

  Oh, hell. Two months? Or would it be longer?

  She told him they might reconnect. She intended that maybe they might, but in the end, she didn’t have time for long-distance relationship with a guy six time zones away.

  Now, soon to be zero.

  Dread assaulted her. She would have to call him back. She couldn’t stop him from coming, but she could be clear that she wasn’t interested in starting up anything serious—if that’s what he had in mind.

  She cataloged the ways to have that conversation on her way to work, stopping at the sandwich shop for a yogurt and some coffee—although her agitation had her plenty amped.

  She stormed into her office and saw Melissa’s shiny black hair bent over her breakfast in front of the desk. They had an early morning meeting.

  “Oh, my God! You’ll never guess in thousand years who called me last night.”

  Alexa’s huff made Melissa pop her head up. “Graham?”

  Alexa fell into her office chair and took the lid off her coffee to blow on it before taking a sip. “No. He has no reason to be calling me at night. Adam. From London. He left me a message saying he could be here for South by Southwest.”

  “South by? What is it he does for living again?”

  “He works in technology. Some kind of consulting. It is an international conference. That’s not necessarily strange. I just don’t know what to do with him running around town. And he’s demanding to see me and everything…”

  “Demanding?”

  Alexa sipped the coffee slowly, unsure if it might still be too hot. “It’s not so much like that. He asked to see me, and he knows how I am. He said he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He knows he has to push me.”

  “Maybe love is in the air. Commitment might be in the water.” Melissa beamed at her and circled her hand dramatically in Alexa’s face.

  “What’s up with you?”

  “I was wondering if you’d notice. I have news of my own.”

  “What?”

  “Oh, my God, Alexa! Look at my hand!”

  Alexa focused on the back of the hand steadied at eye level, spotting the gleaming addition. “Holy shit! You got eng
aged!”

  “Yes. Kyle proposed last night.”

  Alexa jumped out of her office chair and ran around the desk, throwing her arms around Melissa’s shoulders. Tears glossed her friend’s eyes.

  “Sorry. I’m still getting emotional every time I talk about it. He took me to Chez Nous for dinner and proposed right before dessert. Kyle got down on one knee and read me a poem that he wrote. He was so sweet!”

  Melissa’s voice broke, and she dabbed at her eyes with her napkin. Alexa handed her another.

  “I’m really happy for you guys. I could tell things were heading in this direction, and honestly, I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thanks, Lex. I know all this romantic stuff gives you the heebie-jeebies.”

  Normally, Melissa might be right, but Alexa loved seeing other people happy. Melissa was such a romantic, and it was nice that Kyle delivered the goods with the proposal. “No, it’s great. Have you told your parents?”

  “I did. I called them after we got home. I thought my mother was going to faint. Once I hit thirty unmarried, she got nervous. In my family, the women marry young. Thirty-six ain’t exactly young.”

  Alexa frowned. They were nearly the same age. “It’s not that old.”

  “Tell that to my mom. Over Christmas, she handed me an article about how hard it is to get pregnant after thirty-five. Hint, hint. If by hint, you mean a donkey kick to the chin. She was probably crossing herself and lighting candles at the church every day.”

  Alexa’s own mother was barely any better. Links to articles about the difficulties of pregnancy or tips about how to get a man passed through her email box on a regular basis. Alexa had gone from chastising her mother for sending her fear-mongering babble to simply clicking delete whenever her eyes passed over one.

  She still didn’t know if she wanted to have children, and in the back of her mind, she knew, fairly soon, it might not be up to her.

  “Congratulations. Now you can get her off your back, and you get a great husband, too. Kyle is wonderful. You’re lucky.”

  “I know. Hey, I’ve kissed enough frogs, and it’s time for my prince. You too, by the way.”

  “They haven’t all been frogs. They just haven’t all been princes either. Have you set a date?”