Page 36 of Rules in Love
“Promise.” The man literally had me wrapped around his little finger.
“Fine! I have this list, you see.”
He released the curl and nodded thoughtfully. “A list? Ohh, I love a list. I find this incredibly sexy, Red.”
“Well, you shouldn’t. This isn’t a sexy list.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. Oh God, it’s not some weird manifesto that will be used against you in court one day, is it?”
“No,” I laughed, kicking his foot beneath the table. “It’s not a manifesto. It’s a carefully constructed and well-thought-out list of romantic ideologies I choose to live by.”
“Hmm.” He stroked his soft and fluffy-looking day-old scruff. “What kind of ideologies?”
“I dunno, just things like, never date a man from work. That kind of thing.”
“Oh, so they’re rules?”
“No. Not rules. Ideologies. Rules are made to be broken, and these are made to make me better.” He cast a cynical look my way.
“Right. I can see you take this very seriously, and I would like to be supportive. Let me see these rules—err, ideologies.”
“No. No man will ever see them. Well, Teddy has, but he doesn’t count. All you need to know is, by dating…the person I’m interested in, I would be breaking at least half of them.”
His lips curved into a smile. “Ahh, I see.” Looking proud as punch, the cocky bastard sat straight in his seat and puffed his chest. “Can I give you some advice, Red?”
“No.”
“Great. Forcing a set of unrealistic and unachievable rules upon yourself is a recipe for a lonely life. Trust me. I know from first-hand experience.” He took my hand and caressed his thumb across my knuckles. “‘Maybe it’s time to draw up a new list?”
“Yeah. I think it would be easier to get a new job.”
“Nah, don’t do that. I, and whoever this lucky bastard is, would miss you terribly.” His voice deepened as he spoke, becoming a low, gruff rumbling that reverberated through me. Slowly, he leaned in. His grip on my hand tightened, and his eyes stayed glued to my lips, which I may have purposefully licked as he pulled me closer. All propriety was lost.
Omg. This was it.
Finn Austen had seen through my brilliant and not-at-all-obvious wordplay. He was going to kiss me. We were so close I could feel his breath on my cheek. I could almost taste him.
“What do we want for lunch, bitches?” Finn and I jumped apart as Teddy burst into the room, throwing a stack of menus at my head. Realizing his shit timing, he cringed but didn’t leave. “Bollocks, sorry to interrupt.”
Like his arrival, I did not take his apology well. “Fucking choke on it, Teddy.” Finn almost fell off his chair, laughing, while Teddy faked offense but continued to insist on taking our order.
“Ladies’ choice. What do you feel like, Scar?” Finn asked, still chuckling.
Your lips and desk sexwere my immediate thoughts. Thankfully, they stayed in my brain. With two sets of eyes upon me, I had to think of something. A healthy cobb salad or something with quinoa and sprouts should have been my choice, but it wasn’t. I needed greasy comfort. “I’ll have a triple bacon cheeseburger and large fries…and a chocolate shake.”
Finn’s eyebrows hit his hairline. “I’ll have the same. Thanks, Teddy. But make mine a vanilla shake.”
“Sooo, it’s vanilla all the way, then?” I quipped.
“Sorry?”
“Vanilla ice cream the other day, vanilla shake today. What’s wrong, Finn? Can’t handle a little flavor?” Instantly, he pushed his chair out from the desk and ran out the door, chasing after Teddy. “Make that a…a…strawberry shake. Please.”
I tried not to laugh as he gave me a proud, wide-eyed look of a man living on the edge. How do you like them apples?
I liked them apples very much. As I did my burger, which I ate sitting in between Teddy and Finn, who bantered back and forth over my ability to make a mess of everything I ate. My sharp and witty comebacks were flushed down the proverbial toilet when—much to their delight—I spilled chocolate shake down the front of my blouse. When the pointing and laughing ceased, Finn came to my aid like a gentleman, lunging at me with a stack of napkins.
Four clumsy wipes around my nipple zone later, he realized the proximity of his hands to my breasts may have been a little inappropriate. “Maybe you should do this.” He blushed and handed me the napkins. Teddy could barely contain his laughter. I could hardly breathe.
