“That’s pretty normal for most people, you know.”
“Yes, but not for me. And not with you. Not when you’re trying to prove that you can handle my dating style.”
He compressed his lips. He had hoped that after last night and this morning, she would realize that her attraction for him could be so much more … that she could fall in love with him … and then she would want to be alone with him.
Of course, maybe his plan had worked. Maybe she had realized exactly that and now wanted to put distance between them because she didn’t want to give up her wild lifestyle.
Either way, his best shot seemed to be to show her he could be just as wild as she could.
“All right, then. I have a proposal.”
She quirked her head. “I’m listening.”
“Derek arranged a stranger fantasy for you, but my appearance ruined it.”
She grinned. “Well, as things turned out, I wouldn’t exactly say it was ruined, since it’s led to such an interesting turn of events.”
He smiled. “Good. But I still feel I owe you one. How about I set up a stranger fantasy for you?”
Her eyebrows arched upward. “You?”
“Sure. Why not? I have friends.”
She pursed her lips and gazed at him. “Okay. Bring it on.”
* * *
Sloan grabbed the last box, labeled KITCHEN, from the rental truck and carried it into Liam’s new house.
“Any more?” Liam asked as Sloan placed the box on the pile in the corner of the kitchen.
“Nope. All done.” Sloan grabbed a cola from the fridge and pulled open the tab, then took a sip. Moving was hot work.
“I’ve ordered pizza. We can take a break and then get to the unpacking.”
Sloan grinned. “What if I told you I have a hot date and can’t stay for the unpacking?”
“I’d say I don’t believe you, because I know you wouldn’t leave me with all this unpacking. Especially after Derek bailed on me.”
When Sloan first moved to Kenora, he and Liam had hit it off immediately. They’d wound up on a weeklong training course together out of town and spent time after hours bonding over beers. At the time, Liam had been going through a rough time in his long-term relationship. He’d needed a friend to talk to, and Sloan had been happy to listen. Sloan had rediscovered how good it could be to have a good buddy to share with, something he hadn’t had since Ben’s death. He’d even told Liam about Ben, touching on his heartache with Ben’s sister but without giving too much away, and definitely without revealing that Janine lived in
Kenora now and that he planned to pursue her. He wasn’t ready to reveal that much of himself to anyone.
After they got back from the course, Liam tried to improve things with his girlfriend but eventually figured out that it was never going to work and broke it off, which led to his moving into the new house.
The doorbell rang and Liam strode down the hall to answer it. He returned a few moments later with a pizza box.
“Talking about hot dates…” Liam opened the pizza box and pulled out a slice, then dropped it onto a paper plate and handed it to Sloan.
“I was just kidding. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay until every box is unpacked.”
“I was thinking more of last night. I called your place last night, then again his morning, just to confirm when you were coming over, and I couldn’t get you.”
“Oh, I’ll give you my new cell number.”
“Sure, but … are you seeing someone?”
Sloan shrugged. “There is a woman I’ve been seeing. Nothing serious.”