“Are you still drunk?” I set my plate down on the counter. I couldn’t have a serious conversation with food in my hands, not if he didn’t want me to dump it on his freshly washed hair, which smelled like my strawberry shampoo. I eyed the three remaining unopened whiskey bottles on the counter. I knew for a fact that no other alcohol was in my house. I’d looked last night.
“I’m not drunk. I’ve never been more clearheaded and certain that you and I belong together.”
Maybe he wasn’t drunk, but he was definitely delusional. “You can’t just decide we’re going to date. It doesn’t work like that. I don’t even like you.”
“Yes, you do.” He abandoned his plate and met me in the kitchen. A thoughtful and sincere look crossed his face as he rested his hand on my cheek. He held my gaze, and for a minute, I embraced the familiar feeling. The way he’d always been able to hold me captive with his words, no matter how untrue.
I’d seen that look only one other time in my life. The night I’d given him my virginity.
“You suck at hiding the truth, especially when it’s written in your eyes.”
Not this time. This wasn’t happening. I wouldn’t let it. I narrowed my gaze. “What are my eyes telling you now, Counselor?”
The fine lines around his eyes crinkled as a smile played on his lips. “Your eyes are telling me that I still have my work cut out for me to convince you to agree.”
I guess he really could read my eyes. I’d have to work on that mask I’d thought I’d perfected.
“You should eat before it gets cold. We have a busy day.”
I took another bite, not because he told me to but because of the growl coming from my stomach. I walked back into the living room and grabbed my coffee. I was going to need the caffeine to start working soon so I could figure out how in the hell I was going to handle Ben. It was apparent he wasn’t thinking clearly, but one of us needed to.
“Okay, so Lindsey wasn’t the right one, but you’ll rebound without effort. It’s what you do.”
“No.”
“You’re not thinking rationally. Call Lindsey back. I’m sure she’s a great girl. Just change your locks and tell her it was the alcohol. She’ll understand, especially when you show up with roses.”
“That defense would never hold up in court.” He raised a brow, one side of lips turned up.
“We aren’t in court, Ben. You’re a defense attorney; I’m a cop. We’re like pickles and chocolate. Those two will never work.” I’d tried. “That is the reason we were never a couple.”
“We were a couple.”
“We both enjoyed flirting with the idea of never getting caught. I was nothing more than a dirty little secret.” As bad as that sounded, I held back from claiming victory and doing a happy dance. I had him on the ropes with nowhere to run. He couldn’t deny that fact. It had been his choice not to tell my brother.
“I was young and stupid back then. Not anymore.”
“Have you lost your mind?”
“Nope. After all these years, I’ve finally found it.” His gaze caressed my face like a lover, and desire flashed when he reached my lips. “Go shower. We have plans.”
“The only plans I have today is my brother’s wedding later tonight, and you’re interrupting my beauty sleep.”
He sighed and slid his hands into his pockets. His jaw set in determination like he was about to try the hardest case of his life. “Fine, you don’t want to spend the day with me. It’ll give me time to confess to your brother about the past and tell him that I’m going to win you over again. Your parents already love me. Maybe I should get them on my side first. Your brother will be less prone to throw a punch.”
“That’s blackmail, Counselor,” I said, resting my fists on my hips.
“This isn’t court.” His voice calm, his gaze steady. “Choose. Spend the day with me or dodge questions fromallyour relatives at the wedding. I’m sure your grandmother and mother will be all over you to set a date for our wedding and want to know when the baby is due.”
If this little blackmail was any indication of how my new year was going to play out, I was going to need more liquor, or I would be the one in handcuffs and not in the fun way with them attached to my bed. “If I spend the day with you, do you promise to go away again?”
The small space between us was electrified, stirring and rousing sensations I’d long forgotten. It was an unfamiliar feeling and one that would pass like my New Year’s resolution to exercise.
He shook his head. “Nope, but I will promise that you can be the one to tell your family that we’re dating.”
A smile split my lips as I found my resolve once more. “Perfect. That won’t ever happen because we aren’t dating.”
But what if we were? Would it be that bad? The thought drifted through my mind like dandelion pedals blowing in the wind.
