There’s a few seconds of silence. Both men stare at me.
I tense under the attention. “What?”
Zack flops back against the booth and howls with laughter. He laughs so hard he almost falls out of his seat. People at nearby tables start turning and staring.
I glare at him. “What? It’s effective.”
“Yeah,” he sputters. “I bloody bet. It’d work on me. God, you’re lucky you’re so damn pretty, cupcake.” He wipes at his face. “You’re crap at this.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “Did you just ask me out here to laugh at me, or are you actually planning on helping me?”
“Both,” he wheezes, slapping his thigh.
My cheeks heat. “Whatever.” I stand up, reaching for my coat. “Forget it.”
“Okay,” he gasps, grabbing my hand and pulling me back down. “Okay. Sorry, sorry. Let’s fix this. First off—body language.” He clears his throat, pointing to the space between us. “This is all wrong. If a girl sat next to me like this, I’d assume she thinks I smell bad.”
“You don’t,” I say, before I can stop myself. “You always smell great. Sort of… warm and spicy. I like it.”
Zack’s eyes twinkle. “See. You’re gettin’ better at this already.” He stretches out a huge arm. “Come cuddle your boyfriend, biscuit. Let’s see if we can get you used to some touching, eh?”
I shuffle closer to him, and he scoops me into his side, pulling me close.
I’m pretty sure he has an ulterior motive, here. Zack loves hugs. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten through a movie night at his flat without him wrapping his arm around me or laying his head in my lap. It’s hard to complain, though — he’s so big and muscly. Warmth radiates through his side as he cuddles me up close to him. “Aw, this is nice.” He pats my cheek. “You’re well soft. Aight, next up,” he points at my list. “Eye contact.”
“It’s important, right?”
“Aye, but you were starin’ that poor guy down like you were a snake about to gobble up a deer. You gotta make it seductive. Guys and girls tend to do this kinda differently.” He reaches up, nudging my eyelashes with the side of his finger. “You gotta use these. Try this.” He dips his head demurely and looks up at me through his lashes.
I burst out laughing.
He grins. “Okay. I look dumb doing it, but you won’t. Give it a try. Just catch my eye, look down, and then look back up at me, all coy.”
Feeling like an absolute idiot, I do as he says. I hold his gaze for a moment, then drop my eyes, waiting a couple of beats before looking back up at him.
He pulls a face. “Again, but like. Try to look less like you lost a contact.”
I try it again, squinting through my mascara.
“That was even worse,” he says, sounding impressed. “Damn, doll. You really are bad at this.”
“How do you do it, then?” I demand. “You don’t bat your eyelashes at girls like a cartoon skunk.”
“Nah. I’m a man. I smoulder. Check it.” He takes a sip of his beer, then tosses me a side-ways look so full of heat my mouth goes dry. My insides knot as his icy-blue eyes fix on mine, then flicker down my body. Sparks prickle across my skin. He’s looking at me like he wants to peel my clothes right off me.
He holds my gaze for a few beats, then turns back to his pint. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to hypnotise you, lass. My smoulder is pretty potent.”
I swallow. “How did you do that?”
“I imagined my face between your legs,” he says casually, taking another sip of beer.
I choke on air.
A throat clears across the table. I look up to see Josh watching us both impassively. “This is supposed to be about Layla,” he reminds us. “Don’t you think we should be focussing on her?”
Zack dips his mouth by my ear. “Josh is so jealous right now,” he whispers, before raising his voice. “Alright. C’mon, mate. She’s got two sides.” He pats the empty space on my right.
Josh considers. At first, I think he’s going to refuse; but then he stands and moves smoothly out of his booth, joining our side of the table. As he sits next to me, his knee presses against mine, and my skin suddenly warms. Wordlessly, he lays his hand palm-up on the tabletop. After a moment, I thread my fingers through his.
“Perfect.” Zack leans closer on my left, reaching for me. As his arm wraps around my waist, I immediately start to hyperventilate, blood thumping through me.