Page 39 of The Love Lie
“Nah.”
“Come on.” She leans forward, holding his gaze. “You thought of something, I know you did. Lay it on me. It’s good. I can tell.”
“This will cost you.”
“How much?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“I’m a betting woman, Coop.”
“All right. I tell you this, and you’ll owe me one honest answer to whatever question I want to ask.”
“Done.”
Dammit.He was hoping it would take her longer to agree. This one is…bad. This one might actually turn her off for real.
Too late now.
“When I was a kid, I had a huge thing for Shania Twain.”
“Who didn’t? The woman is a goddess.”
“No, I mean ahugething. Listened to her music. Saw all her videos. Probably would’ve died on the spot if I ever met her in person.” He lowers his voice and stares at Sam meaningfully. “Had a box of magazine cutouts under my bed, if you catch my drift.”
“I got you.” She snorts. “How is this embarrassing?”
“It’s not, except that, after spending the entirety of my teenage years fantasizing about the woman, I noticed a slight problem.”
“Problem?”
“Problem.” He swallows.I can’t believe I’m admitting this out loud.“Every time I hear her music I still, you know, down there…”
She furrows her brows, not understanding. Then her eyes widen. Her jaw drops elatedly. “You pop a woody?”
He winces and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I can’t hear ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ without getting a veryslightbut definitely still existent hard-on.”
“HA!”
He presses on, trying to explain. “It’s like Pavlov’s dogs. I’ve been conditioned. I can’t stop it.”
She falls back on the lounger giggling and kicks her feet up into the air. “Oh my god.”
“I know.”
“Oh my god.”
“I know.”
She whirls back up to a seated position with an evil gleam in her eye. “You do know you just handed me the key to your undoing, don’t you?”
“Great power comes with great responsibility.”
She hums the opening refrain of the song.
He glares at her. “Stop that.”
She keeps humming.
