“I thought we weren’t friends.”
He had me there. I took another sip of my coffee. “True. Never mind.”
He popped the top off his to-go cup and took a longer swallow.
“You’re going to burn your throat.”
“Will you soothe it for me? I know a few good ways.”
“You’re a pig.”
“No, a pig would say I have a way to soothe your throat.”
I resisted the urge to smile. I didn’t want to be charmed. I’d already been charmed enough to get naked with him for a whole night. Actually, there hadn’t been much need for charm. I’d been completely enamored with him from the first moment he’d bet me in a game of darts.
God, we hadn’t even actually played. Well, I’d played with something, but it had been a bit more substantial.
And how.
I blew out a breath. “Did you really quit? From everything I’ve heard, you love NASCAR.”
He shrugged. “Checking up on me?”
“No. Just conversations with my brother-in-law.” Lies. I spoke to Dare approximately the same amount of words I’d shared with Gage. However, not for the same reasons. Dare just wasn’t a chatty guy. My sister spoke more than enough for the both of them.
“Now I know you’re lying. Dare doesn’t speak.”
Was he reading my mind? Luckily, I didn’t have to answer. A pixie-sized woman with rainbow hair came up to our table with our food. “Hey, Ry.”
“Hi, Vee.”
She set a bowl with an attached basket in front of me. My perfectly crispy and gooey grilled cheese was tucked in among the bat print wax paper and a few bagel chips. My mouth watered. No wonder my pants were getting tight.
“Veronica, this is Gage. Dare’s brother.”
“Oh.” Vee tipped her head to the side. “I don’t see the resemblance.”
She wasn’t wrong. Dare was a little stockier than Gage. My lunch date—companion—was long and lean with dark eyes and dark blond hair that would probably be curly if he let it grow out.
And I was looking at him far too closely.
Gage popped one of the bagel chips in his mouth with a grin. “And Dare is glad every damn day.”
“Well, nice to meet ya. Enjoy the food. Give a holler if you need anything.” She gave him a little wave and did the look beneath her lashes thing and I wanted to toss a chip at her head.
“Thanks.” Oddly, his gaze didn’t move from me. And I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
I looked away from his way too intense stare and dunked a bagel chip into my tomato bisque. “Stop looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like there’s some joke and I’m not in on it.”
“Only joke is you checked up on me and don’t want to own up to it.”
“Are we still talking about that?” I gave him a bored look.
He picked up his sandwich with a half grin. “No. I don’t need any more details. Just knowing is enough.”