“Err, what?” he asks, letting go of my arm and facing me as we descend to the main lobby of our apartment complex.
“With dating, you’ve never talked about it. You’ve never told me anything about the women you see. Why is that?”
“Where is this coming from?” he asks as the elevator doors part. Breaker’s car is waiting out front, the valet with key in hand.
I motion to his suit. “This is . . . this is not the Breaker I’m used to. I don’t see you dress like this, all suave and, you know . . . handsome.” I gulp.
And that stupid smirk of his appears as he says, “Yeah, well, I never see you like this either.” He motions to me and says, “All dressed up and . . . beautiful. Normally, I hang out with the troll lady who lives next door and has a penchant for eating green olives straight from the jar.”
My eyes widen, and I push him to the side, causing him to laugh. “I’m not a troll lady.” Now the part about the olives, that’s true.
“Your matted hair the other day told me otherwise.” He tips the valet and then opens the door for me, but when I get in, he doesn’t shut the door right away. He rests his hands on the roof and says, “I don’t talk about it much because there isn’t much to talk about. And I’m not the type of guy who runs around to his friends, telling them about the pussy I scored the night before. But if you so desire, I can start doing that.”
“Do you score a lot?”
“More than you’re probably aware, but since you’re curious, I’ve gone through a bit of a drought as of recently. Just haven’t had time. I think the last woman I was with, if you must know, is your friend Charise, the one you hooked me up with for Huxley’s wedding.”
“Wait, seriously?” I ask. “You hooked up with Charise?”
“A few times.” He winks and then shuts the door on me, leaving me in a state of bewilderment.
When he climbs into his side of the car, I ask, “A few times? Like . . . more than once?”
“That’s usually what a few times means.” He puts the car in drive and pulls away from the apartment building.
“But she never said anything to me. You never said anything to me. How am I supposed to know you’re hooking up with my friend? Did anything come of it?”
“Triplets, actually. Not humans, puppies. She has custody, but I have visitation rights.”
“I’m being serious, Breaker.” I push at his shoulder, causing him to laugh.
“Nah, it was just sex. Neither of us was looking for anything serious, plus there was no connection other than a carnal one.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“Ew, don’t say carnal.” I fold my arms and sink into my seat while Breaker drives us toward downtown, where Brian made a reservation. “So you’re just out there dating, having a good time, and not telling me about it?”
“Why would I tell you? Just so you can push me and say ew?” he asks in a teasing tone.
“Well, yeah.”
He chuckles. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”
“So tonight, are you going to be all . . . touchy-feely and Date Breaker?”
“If you’re staring me down the whole time, then no. Not sure I can put on the moves when your judgmental glare is directed my way.”
“Judgmental? Nothing about me is judgmental.”
“Ha!” He guffaws. “Lia, you were judging Birdy earlier today when you saw that she likes romantic comedies.”
“Uh, you used to make fun of them until apparently recently, thanks to your sisters-in-law. The question really is, do I even know you at all, Breaker?”
“You tell me.” He grips the steering wheel so he’s only using one hand while the other falls to the armrest, and for a moment, I think about him driving Birdy around. Would he place his hand on her thigh? Would he lace their fingers together? Would he bring their connection to his lips and place a gentle kiss to her perfectly lotioned knuckles? I couldn’t imagine Breaker doing any of this, then again, it’s because I’ve never seen that side of him. Out of all the years we’ve known each other, I’ve never observed him with a woman. “Name my biggest fear.”
“We don’t need to do this,” I say on a sigh.
“Yes, we do.” He pokes my leg. “Come on, what’s my biggest fear? And you’re the only one who knows this.”
“House fire where you can’t get your signed Lord of the Rings memorabilia out of the house fast enough, and you lose it.”