With every goddamn laugh from her beautiful lips when she’s talking to someone else.
My mind has wandered. My imagination has soared, and I’ve been horny and needy whenever she’s been around.
Tonight is no exception.
Except I’m flirting with her tonight—it is my birthday, after all.
Happy birthday to me.
There’s nothing wrong with a bit of flirting, right?
“You seem to be drinking that pretty quickly,” I point out to her as she sucks on her straw, her cheeks hollowing out, making me dream of what she’d look like if she was sucking on something other than that straw.
“Am I?” she asks after she pulls away from her drink. “Well, I’m thirsty. All that babbling has left me parched.”
The fucking babbling. Normally, I wouldn’t care for a woman to go on and on about random things, but for some reason, when Penny does it, I’m enamored, and I want nothing more than for her to continue. I want to get lost in those crazy thoughts of hers.
“Do you want something to eat?” I ask her.
“Uh . . .” She glances around. “I think I’m okay. I’m actually not planning on staying long. You know, work tomorrow. I really came out tonight as a favor to Blakely and stayed out because, well, it’s your birthday. You know what we should do? We should actually roam the bar and find someone you can go home with. You know, someone who would really know how to celebrate.” She waggles her eyebrows at me, and if I wasn’t so annoyed with her trying to pass me off on someone else, I’d think it’s cute.
“I’m good with you.”
“Me?” she asks, pointing at herself. “That’s, well, you know, I’m not, uh . . . the thing is—”
“Good with hanging out with you,” I say, clearing the air so she doesn’t think I’m looking for anything other than her company. She has no idea the number of times I’ve said no to another woman’s advances because of an interaction with her on a particular day.
If she were to make a move, I’d jump on it so hard. In an instant, we’d be headed to my place with one thing on my mind—getting between her legs.
“Oh, okay.” She stares down at her drink. “You don’t think I’m boring?”
“Why would I think you were boring? You have been nothing but entertaining since I bumped into you.”
“Yes, but I’m not a super great conversationalist.”
“Not true,” I say before taking a small sip of my beer. “I’ve seen you with the guys. You’re always laughing with them, joking around, teasing.”
“Yes, well . . . that’s different.”
“How so?” I ask while leaning in closer to her. From my position, I catch a whiff of her heady, exotic perfume, and it hits me in my goddamn chest.
She glances away, and I can tell whatever she’s going to say won’t be the truth. And I want the truth from her. It’s rare when I talk to her like this, so I don’t want anything to hold her back.
I lift my hand, and with two fingers, I rotate her head so she’s looking at me. “Tell me the truth. Why is interacting with me different?”
She visibly gulps as her eyes search mine, bouncing back and forth until she says, “Because you’re, uh . . . because well . . .” She swallows again. “You’re attractive.”
Bingo.
Just the thing I wanted to hear.
Never hurts a man’s ego to hear the woman he’s been lusting after for two years thinks he’s attractive. Nope, I’m going to keep that little nugget of info very close to my dick.
“Well, not that the other guys aren’t attractive, because they are, but you’re just different, and I don’t know why I admitted that. I’ve only had two drinks. It’s not like I’m drunk or anything, so my lips shouldn’t be that loose. Honestly, how about we forget I even said that?”
“No fucking way.” I let my hand slide back down, only to settle close to hers on the table. “I’m tucking that snippet of knowledge away forever.”
She sighs heavily. “Why do you have to rub it in like that? Clearly, it’s embarrassing for me to talk about—”
“Rub it in? I’m not rubbing it in. I’m basking in the glory of Penny Lawes thinking I’m attractive.”
“Why on earth would you do that?” she asks with a pinch of her brow.
“Uhh . . . because you’re a fucking goddess and being recognized by you feels really fucking amazing,” I say before I can stop myself.