I cocked a brow. “How about putting on some clothes first?”
“If you insist.”
“I do.”
“You sure? You seemed to enjoy the view.”
I pointed toward where I assumed his bedroom was. “Clothes. Now.”
“I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I took out pen and paper, as well as the list of questions. When Reid returned, the atmosphere between us was no longer light and playful. He cast one look at my list of questions, and I could almost feel him reinforcing his defenses. But that was quite all right... I was as good at getting under his skin as he was at getting under mine.
“Want me to prepare you a drink?”
He slipped behind the bar. I suspected he wanted to keep himself occupied while I fired off questions.
“What do you want?”
“Surprise me. I’ll start with the questions right away, okay?”
He nodded tightly, confirming my suspicions.
As I arranged the blank paper in front of me, he said, “You can record this if you want.”
I blinked up in surprise. Warmth coursed through me. We’d made progress in the weeks we’d known each other. I opened the recording app on my phone and started it.
Not having to take notes left me with nothing to do but look at him as I fired off questions.
Whenever he was uncomfortable, his body language immediately gave him away: either he crushed ice with excessive force, or he gripped his own glass so tightly that I feared it might break. I hated Marion, I realized. I’d never even met the woman, but I hated her for the pain she’d caused Reid.
Why, I wondered, were some people always in search of something else? And why weren’t they brave enough to first break up? Honest enough? That angered me the most.
After Reid finished our drinks, he paced through the living room as he answered my questions. I was firing them off as fast as possible, because the only way I could think of making this less unpleasant was to make it as quick as possible.
“Okay, we’re done,” I exclaimed at last, pressing Stop on my phone.
Reid tilted his head back, drawing in a deep breath. I watched his chest expand, my eyes tracing the contours of his six-pack. They were visible through his thin dress shirt.
When he opened his eyes, he zeroed in on me. The atmosphere changed instantly. He stalked in my direction, and my breath caught. He slid his empty glass on the counter, brushing my arm with his hand in the process.
“Time to blow off steam, I’d say,” he murmured. He searched my face, and I was burning under his scrutiny. I’d never met anyone who affected me this way.
“Oh? I thought we were swimming.”
“That’s what I had in mind, but if you have other ideas, I’m happy to oblige.”
I blushed.
“Did you bring a bikini?”
“Yes. You didn’t buy one for me, did you?”
“Why do you think I was late?”
I swallowed. Curiosity ate at me. I wanted to know what he’d chosen for me, but I stuck to my guns.
“Well, you shouldn’t have. I’m going to wear mine.”