I gulp a large sip of my wine. “Well, we’re done with the fucking, and the entire reason my dad called us in was because of our fighting.”
He leans back in the booth, his long arms extending across the table, fiddling with his own wineglass stem. “Okay, so you have no feelings for me?”
“Nope,” I say, popping the p.
“You don’t want to have sex with me right now?”
“God, no!” I catch myself before my voice rises too high.
“All right, let’s up the ante a little then.”
“What are you talking about?” I sip my wine to distract myself from the fact that I am lying directly to this man’s face.
“Weekly meetings at my house, I cook you dinner. Team building, we’re on the same team. Press conferences are just you and me and a drink afterward.” His cocky smirk is back on display, and I hate to admit that I’ve kind of missed it.
“That sounds a lot like dating, and I don’t want to date you, remember?” I grab a roll from the basket and take a bite, needing something in my stomach.
“It’s two coworkers having a relationship that will better the team.”
“This is so stupid and childish. You have to make everything a competition. I have nothing to prove.” I roll my eyes.
He chuckles. “I guess we’ll see about that.” He gives me a challenging stare, and damn my ego because I can’t not want to show him how wrong he is.
“Okay, I’m all in.”
He sips his wine, his copper eyes with flecks of green locking with mine over the rim of his glass.
Whatever. I so have this. And maybe if I keep telling myself that, I’ll start to believe it.
I throw Rocky’s ball toward the edge of the water, and he chases it. He’s a Collie mix I rescued a couple of years ago and is always up for a game of fetch. I turn and poke at the firepit that’s right off my backyard on the beach, then go back to my flatiron grill on the deck where I’m preparing shrimp, veggies, and noodles.
“I swear, sometimes, Kane Burrows…” Jana appears around the corner from the front of the house.
“You got my note.” I smile bright, but I get a scowl in return.
“If I’d known I was going hiking, I’d have worn better shoes. Ever hear of a landscaper?”
“Sorry about that. Coaching is so different than playing. I used to have time to do all that myself.” I flip the shrimp. “Lucky for you, dinner is almost ready.”
“Good. The sooner we’re done, the sooner I can get out of here.” She looks at my patio furniture with surprise and sits down.
“Not what you expected?”
She shrugs. “I don’t have a lot of expectations when it comes to you.”
I smile to myself then spear a piece of the broccoli and hold the fork out in front of her mouth. She shakes her head.
“Come on,” I urge her.
She finally opens, and I slide the fork into that mouth I love so much. She moans, chewing and swallowing. “What kind of seasoning is that?”
I select my own piece and toss it in the air, catching it in my mouth. “My own special seasoning.” I wink.
“Well, it’s surprisingly good.”
“Surprisingly, huh?”
“You are a bachelor. I didn’t think you cooked much since you’ve never invited me over.”
I chuckle. “Because you liked things on your turf, and since it was just sex, I figured who cares where we had it.”
“Can we not talk about it anymore? Since that’s over.”
I put the meal I’ve prepared on a serving dish. “Just want to forget it happened?”
“Yes, please,” she says, then looks up at me as though she can’t believe she said it out loud.
“Fine. We’ll forget the fact that I’ve seen you naked and know you like it when I tie you to the bed.”
“Seriously?” she scoffs.
I give her a cocky grin just to piss her off. She’s way too on edge these days.
“Look who I found at my back door, seeing if his girlfriend can play.” My next-door neighbor Emma walks up on the desk with Rocky next to her.
It takes him two seconds to see the new face and he jets toward Jana.
“No, Rocky,” I say, grabbing for his collar while balancing the dish on the palm of my other hand.
When I finally get both things to stop moving, Rocky gives another tug because he loves new people. The serving tray wobbles and ends up face down on my patio. Damn it.
“I’m sorry,” Emma says. “I didn’t know you had company.”
“It’s okay.” I let go of Rocky to pick up the mess. He rushes over to Jana, puts both paws on her shoulders, and licks her face.
“Um… Kane?” Her voice has a definite note of panic.
“Shit.” I leave the mess and grab Rocky. “Sit, Rocky.”
He does what I say, but his tail is wagging a mile a minute.
Jana runs the back of her hand down her face where Rocky left his saliva and coughs what I think might be bile rushing up her throat. She stands. “If you’ll excuse me. Do you have a bathroom?”
“Yeah, inside to the right.” I motion toward the patio doors.
When Jana shuts the French door, I glance at Emma. “He hasn’t been like that since he met you.”
Emma laughs. “And thank goodness I’m a dog person. I’m not so sure she is though.”
“No. At least not one the size of Rocky.” I pet Rocky’s head. “What got into you, buddy?”
Emma grabs a piece of zucchini I left on the grill by mistake and pops it into her mouth. “I’d say that it’s that she’s so hot and even though you neutered the poor thing, he still gets horny just like his daddy.”
I shake my head at her. “Where’s Sam tonight?”
“Working. She’s on call. I was going to swindle my way into an invitation over here, but I see you’ve got plans.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
“She’s my boss.”
“Oh, that’s her?” She peeks in through the window, but there’s no sign of Jana. She probably sneaked out the front door.
“Yeah.”
“She fits the bill. Not that I shop where she does, but her outfit looks expensive. And then there’s all that gold she’s wearing.” Emma looks down at her paint-covered cutoff jean shorts and tank top.
While her partner, Sam, is a doctor, Emma’s a painter and owns a small gallery in the downtown area. Rocky is their dog Penny’s boyfriend. We’re one big happy family on this side of the city.
The French door opens, and Emma stands. I throw all the food in my outside garbage can.
“I guess it’s pizza for us,” I tell Jana.
Rocky walks up to her, calmer now, but his tail could leave whip marks it’s moving so fast. Jana hesitantly pats his head. Rocky sits and scoots closer to her, and Jana pets him again.
“I better get going,” Emma says. “I’ve been procrastinating on this piece, and it’s supposed to be the center focus at the gallery next week.”
“You’re an artist?” Jana asks. “What gallery?”
“Sorry. Jana Gerhardt, this is Emma Hayes. Emma, Jana.”