I paid the check and stood up, extending my hand to her. "You ready for this horrible, god-awful chick flick that you're dragging me to?"
She laughed. "I am, and I'm sorry again. Maybe I was wrong about you."
"No, I think you were right, but there's always more to the story." I started to release her hand, but she intertwined her fingers with mine and moved through the restaurant that way. A silly warmth pumped through me, and by the time we got outside, I was ready to pull her close and offer her another make-out session.
"I don't need to see the movie. You didn't buy tickets yet, did you?" She turned to me, pulling our hands behind her and forcing me to stand close to her as she glanced up at me.
"No, I didn't, but the night is young. I'd rather us see the movie than take you home and not see you at all." I licked at my lips, nervous as fuck. What was wrong with me?
"We don't have to go home. Besides, I owe you a good date, seeing that I've been nothing but a bitch since we met." She stepped forward, pressing her breasts against my chest.
I reached up and touched the side of her face, memorizing the way she watched me. "You don't owe me shit. I'm still that same guy, Cora. Don't make me into something I'm not."
She smiled and pulled back, releasing my hand. "Never. Let's go walk on the beach and dig more into this softer side of you. I almost like it."
"No, you don't," I laughed and followed her around the building and down toward the sand. Three large bonfires raged around various parts of the lake, and she moved toward the closest one and beckoned me to come with her. My eyes moved over her body as need rolled through me. How easy it would have been to tug her back and tell her it was time to go back to her place or mine. To undress her slowly and taste every inch of her before fucking her until she begged me to stop, but that's what she expected. She'd labeled me as that guy.
Where I was pretty damn sure I wasn't in the friend-zone, I was still worried about the idea of being tested and coming up short where she was concerned.
Several guitar players belted out an old Billy Joel song as people danced around in the sand and laughed, having a good time.
"Come dance with me." She turned and tucked her hair behind her ear before extending her hand to me.
I gripped it and tugged her toward me, wrapping my other arm around her tightly and leaning down to press my mouth to her ear.
"What are you doing? You know this isn't going to end well. We're supposed to see a movie, give each other grief in the midst of our sexually charged relationship, and go our separate ways, dreaming about fucking each other and yet pretending that we didn't." I tightened my grip on her.
She groaned softly and slid her hands under my t-shirt along my back. "Is that how it's supposed to work? You go back to being a jerk and me a bitch, and the story ends there?"
I moved back as she glanced up at me, but I made sure not to break contact with her as we swayed to the music. "I think that's the best scenario for us, don't you? We have a long summer of seeing each other. No need to fuck it up just yet."
"Fuck it up?" Her smile faded a little as she stopped moving. "Is that what you think
a night together would do?"
"Do you want a night together? Cause I can give you that." I licked at my lips as my heart started to race.
What the fuck was I doing? I was unwinding the calm between us and driving us back to her being defensive and me being back on the chase. It had been three days. Three days and she was softening. I wanted her to open up to me, but for some reason, it felt like sex would be the end of things, not the beginning. Was I refusing sex with her? No fucking way.
"A night?" She moved back another step and wrapped her arms around herself. Hurt brushed across her features, but she seemed to be working to hide it from me. "Anyway, I guess the ambiance and the music made me think... You know what, never mind. It was stupid."
She turned and I reached for her, but she wasn't having any of it, anymore. I walked behind her until we made it to the restaurant and stopped beside the bikes.
"I think I'm going to walk. Thanks for dinner. It was great." She gave me a half wave and turned, walking across the street without waiting on a reply from me at all.
"What the fuck just happened?" I pressed my hands to my face and let out a low growl before walking back out on the sandy shore of the lake and sighing loudly.
How the hell had we gone from having a great dinner to her leaving before I even got a kiss in or learned anything more about her?
Had she wanted sex? Just sex? Was she like every other woman around here?
"Fuck this life," I mumbled and stared out at the water, unsure of what to do, but too mentally fried to figure it out.
Chapter Eighteen
Three Days Later
Brody