“And you never fell for her sweet-Southern-girl bullshit?” I asked skeptically.
“Look. I’ve dated lots of girls. You know this, but that chick is bad news. Too much damn fake drama for me.”
“Give me a break. The Barbie twins you were with the first day I met you were about as fake as they come.”
“Fair enough. I never said I was perfect. Besides, who really caught my attention that day? Oh yeah, that’s right, it was you. I told you, I’m not a player, Brittni. You’re going to have to believe me or this thing between us is never going to work,” he said, putting the ball in my court. “And you have to stop jumping to conclusions about me.”
He was right, of course. From day one I’d been too harsh where it concerned him. “I’m just scared,” I finally admitted.
“Why would you be scared?” he asked, reaching for my hands.
“Because I suck at this whole relationship thing.”
“So do I. We can learn how to be good at it together,” he said, pulling me to my feet. “I think we should practice with kissing,” he added.
“Kissing sounds like a good place to start,” I whispered as his lips claimed mine.
9.
Present Day
12:55 PM
“I’m starving,” I grumbled, checking my iPhone for the millionth time.
“Yeah, me too. I wonder if that asshole Rob even knows we’re stuck in here. He’s probably eating lunch as we speak,” Justin complained, glancing at his phone. “Still no damn signal. I freaking hate elevators!”
“Now you sound like me,” I said, digging through my purse in a vain effort to find something edible. I struck gold when my hand closed around the cereal bar I had gotten at the airport earlier. Digging farther, I found the small bag of nuts they gave me on the plane. “You wanna eat my nuts?” I asked in an attempt to lighten the mood. He sat for a moment without looking up. “Come on. You know you want to eat my nuts,” I said, pulling the small bag from my purse and holding it out. “That’s it. Grab my nuts,” I teased, causing the corners of his mouth to rise into a smile.
“Thanks,” he said grudgingly.
“Sure,” I smiled, remembering how much he loved peanuts.
“How did Rob talk you into coming to his office if you hate elevators so much?”
“He told me he wanted to talk about an engagement surprise he had planned for Melissa. He swore me to secrecy. As far as Melissa is concerned, my plane isn’t supposed to land for several more hours,” I sighed. I still wasn’t pleased that a trusted friend had lied and tricked me.
“I bet she’s excited you’ll be here for the party,” he said in a voice absent from the earlier hostility.
“Yeah, she was happy when I finally caved,” I answered. I instantly regretted my words, knowing I had given too much away.
“Caved? You mean you didn’t want to come to your best friend’s engagement party?” he asked, raising the eyebrow that had once been pierced.
“When did you take out your eyebrow ring?” I asked, avoiding his question.
“Two years ago. I decided it was time for a change,” he answered as the hostility returned to his voice. That was definitely another dagger meant for me.
I kept my head down rather than take the bait. Of course his words hurt, but I’d be damned if I was going to let him see that.
“Well? You said ‘caved.’ Does that mean I was almost spared the pleasure of seeing you again?” he asked sarcastically.
“I can’t remember; were you always such a dick?” I asked, matching his tone.
“Honey, I didn’t become a dick until you lied to me and took something from me without even giving it a second thought. You and your goddamn secrets!” he snapped in a raised voice.
“They were my secrets—MINE,” I yelled. I was sick of fighting a battle with him I would never win.
“That’s horseshit. I deserved to know. God, the fact you don’t get that makes me sick. I wish I had never talked to you that day,” he snarled, turning away in disgust.