Page 26 of Betting on the Bad Boy
“Yeah. It’s just that home for me isn’t that far away. Besides, I’ve got to work so I can’t go too far,” I said.
“That’s a drag.” Brittany put her hand on my arm. “Thanks again for the rose.”
A flash of red caught my eye, and I looked up. Faith stood at the end of the bookshelf, her red coat wrapped tight around her, watching the whole exchange.
“Hey, Faith.” I yanked my arm away from Brittany, grabbed my bag and jacket, and took a step toward her.
“Nice rose,” Faith pointed to the rose in Brittany’s hand.
“Thanks, Dante gave it to me.”
“Yellow, huh? Ever read ‘The Age of Innocence’? Wharton had a few things to say about yellow roses.”
Wharton? What the hell was she talking about? Before I could reach her, she turned and walked away. Screw it. I wasn’t going to let her run from me again. “Faith, hey, got a sec?” I jogged to catch up.
Faith
The yellow rose?I ripped off my knit cap and ran a hand through my hair. Where did that come from? I’d spent a good portion of my junior year studying Edith Wharton. My professor at the time had a hang-up about the symbolism of flowers in literature.
Dante took my arm, forcing me to stop. “Hold up.”
I whirled around to face him. I hadn’t seen him in a couple of weeks. God, he looked good. I lifted a hand to run it across the dark stubble covering his chin, but stopped myself at the last second and pushed my hair back behind my ear instead.
“Are you pissed at me?” His eyes darted over my face.
I looked away. “No. I’m not pissed at you. I’m pissed at myself. I’m embarrassed and mortified, okay? It has nothing to do with you.”
Dante rolled his eyes and raised his voice. “It sure as hell does have something to do with me. You thinkyou’reembarrassed?” He put a finger under my chin and tilted my face up toward his. “Hey, look at me.”
Why did he have to touch me? I lost access to all rational thought when his skin connected with mine. “What?”
My lower lip stuck out in a half pout. I’d tried to forget about that night in the car, the way his lips felt on mine, the way it made me feel to feel wanted. Trouble was, no matter how many times I pushed thoughts of Dante Bishop from my head, they always returned. Thanks to our little tryst, my writer’s block had been obliterated, and I’d been able to outline the three books Steph needed by just picturing those blazing blue-green eyes and the way his mouth felt pressing into mine.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to track you down for the past two weeks to apologize. That flower...I bought it for you. It was supposed to be a peace offering. Jess said she thought you’d be here studying. I couldn’t find you, so I tossed it at Brittany.”
“You bought me a flower?” I couldn’t remember the last time a guy had bought me flowers. It had to be in high school. Maybe a corsage for a dance or something.
“Yeah. What’s the deal about the yellow rose, anyway?”
I flushed. “Nothing. It’s just that the main character in the book buys a yellow rose for his wife’s cousin, the one he wants to sleep with.”
Dante’s eyes widened. “The chick at the flower shop told me yellow roses mean friendship.”
“Well, yeah, most people think they do now. But back in the late 19th century, it meant something different.”
“Remind me to never send you flowers. I’d hate to say something I didn’t mean.” A smile played on his lips.
Warm, soft, kissable lips. Dammit. “Friendship, huh? Peruvian lilies would have been a better choice. You can never go wrong with those.”
“I’ll try to remember that next time I want to give afrienda flower. So, are you going or coming?” Dante’s face flushed at his unintentional innuendo.
I smiled. “I just got here, if that’s what you mean. Are you heading out?”
“Yeah, I’ve got to get to work. I was wondering, can we get together sometime?”
My heart skipped a beat. Together...I didn’t have time for together. As much as my body ached for the touch of his hands and my mouth craved the taste of him, he wasn’t part of my plan. I’d seen what happened when people gave in to all-consuming passion and blazing heat. It didn’t last. Security, shared interests, common goals, those were the things I needed.
I shook my head. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d like to pretend that night never happened. It won’t do any good for us to get together. I just don’t have time in my life for anything but work right now.”
