Real Men Will (Donovan Brothers Brewery 3)

She didn’t have to paste a smile on her face as she opened the door. In fact, she had to try hard not to grin like a crazy woman.

Eric’s eyes swept down her body. “Hi,” he said to her legs.

“Hello.” He was wearing a pale blue polo shirt tonight. Was there anything more delightfully preppy than that? She opened the door wide and stepped back. “Come in.”

“Thanks.” He stopped just a few feet inside and shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I realized on my way up the stairs that I should’ve brought something. A bottle of wine. Or maybe dinner?”

“I’ve already eaten. And I have wine here. Would you like some?”

“Yes,” he said quickly.

Beth couldn’t hold back the grin as she walked to the kitchen. This was fun. Last time, it had been her, making that long walk to his door. She’d been nervous, wondering what the hell she was doing. Did he feel the same way now? What would he say if she just dropped her dress and walked back into the living room? She pressed her hand to her mouth too late to stop the laugh.

“Did you say something?” he called.

“No, sorry. I just…dropped something.”

She was just setting the corkscrew to the wine when she looked up and found him standing in the doorway of the small kitchen. “Did you just get off work?” he asked.

“Yes. No. I mean, I worked until eight and then went out with a friend.”

His eyebrows rose. “Oh?”

He thought she’d been on a date, and wasn’t that what it had been? One more attempt to set Beth Cantrell up with a man who could push her stubborn buttons? She felt a sudden urge to tell Eric the truth, but she settled for just a tiny bit of it. “Can I be honest with you?”

“Of course.”

“There’s a man I’ve been on a couple of dates with. I saw him tonight.”

He leaned against the archway with a frown. “Okay.”

Just as she was about to let it out, the words dried in her mouth and worry started turning in her head. She couldn’t stop it.

The cork popped free of the bottle, so she used that as an excuse to look down. “I’m sorry. I…” Her mind whirled. She grabbed on to the first thought that bounced forward. “Why did you come over?” she asked, wanting him to say it so she wouldn’t have to.

“Because you asked me to.”

“I know, but… We didn’t want to do this, right? We didn’t want to see each other again?”

“We agreed it wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Right. Exactly. And it’s not a good idea.” She made herself look up, but as soon as she saw his dark frown, she chickened out one more time and reached for the cupboard to get glasses. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

“I don’t understand. Do you want me to go?”

She loved that he’d asked her that. As if it would be no big deal to drive to a woman’s house in the middle of the night just to say hello and make small talk for a few seconds. The lack of pressure helped her mind settle, as if the molecules of her brain could stop bouncing off each other if only things weren’t so intense.

She took a deep breath and handed him a glass, then she held on to hers with both hands, hoping it would hold her steady for the next few minutes.

“I was out tonight, talking to this man, and thinking that it was time. You know?”

Eric looked puzzled and sipped from his wine instead of answering.

“It was time for that decision. Were we going to get physical? Did I want to? And all I kept thinking was that I hoped he was like you.”

His confusion blanked to surprise. “Like me?”

Beth took a steadying gulp of wine. “Yes. I realized that I was about to go home with this man, and I just wanted it to be what it had been with you.”