Page 64 of Cocky Prince
“Of course not. But if you’re planning on blowing out some walls in your frustration, maybe we should go to your place. I don’t have many left after your work on the closet, and the ones I do have I want to keep.”
He shoots me a quick smile. “I thought we could grab a bite and bring it back. Hang out.”
“I’d like that.”
He reaches over and holds my hand. Who knew Adam was such a touchy-feely guy?
On our way to my place, we swing by a taco joint. In cocktail wear. And it’s interesting. And also the most natural thing in the world.
“Two chicken burritos.” Adam glances at me. “Hot sauce?” I shake my head. “Hot sauce on one, and please label it.”
“And a churro,” I tell him, poking him in the rib to make sure he gets it. I’m starving. And a little buzzed after that second glass of wine I downed without food while waiting for Adam to finish talking to his dad.
“Two churros,” he tells the guy.
Adam pays for our meal, and we stand off to the side, people-watching and eating churros while we wait for the rest of our order. He grabs paper napkins and hands me one, then dusts off sugar from his mouth. People come in and out of the two-table taco joint, staring blatantly, but I don’t mind. Waiting inside the taco place eating churros with Adam is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Come to think of it, spending any time with Adam is the most fun I’ve had in forever, even when he was antagonizing me and driving me crazy at work. I just didn’t realize it then.
“Sooo,girlfriend?” I say, once we’ve finished our churros. There is no way I’m letting the comment he made to his father slide.
He raises an eyebrow, challenging me.
This is how he’s going to play it? He’s not even going to discuss it? “I take it you will be forgoing all women henceforth.” I’m joking, but seriously, if he thinks he can call me his girlfriend and go around hooking up, he is crazy. I’d rather keep things casual with dates than label us before there’s a commitment.
Adam walks across the room and fills small paper cups with water from the dispenser. He hands me one. “I haven’t been on a date in almost a year,” he says.
My eyes widen. “A formal date. But other types of…intimate relations?” My face heats. I sound like a politician. “You know what I mean.”
“Nope.” He finishes the water, crushes the cup, and tosses the crumpled paper at the garbage, making a perfect basket. “None of that for a long time either.”
“Really?”
“Really. You?”
“I’ve been busy.”
He wraps his arm around me, grabs my hip, and pulls me close. “Busy doing what?” There’s an edge to his tone.
I laugh nervously. “Notthatkind of busy. Busy with work.”
He leans in and brushes his lips over my ear. “So you’re not seeing anyone? Besides me, that is.”
I lean back and stare at him. I remember our conversation at Nessa and Zach’s about my dating status. He tried to fish it out of me then, and I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Particularly since the truth wasn’t very exciting. But now I don’t mind him knowing. In fact, it makes sense, given all the kissing business that almost led to other business.
“No boyfriends,” I say. “Can’t remember the last date I went on, though I don’t think it was as far back as a year. Maybe six months.”
He stares at the floor a moment, as though gathering his thoughts. “I called you my girlfriend because nothing else fits.” He looks up. “You’re more than a friend or a coworker. More special than just about anyone. It seems fast, but not when you figure I’ve been…thinkingabout you since I started working at Blue. And probably subconsciously since I was sixteen and talked Jaeg into breaking up with you so I wouldn’t have to watch you with another guy. It’s been a long time coming.”
“You know, you’re kind of a shitty friend,” I say, humor in my voice. “I can’t believe you sabotaged your best friend’s love life for your own nefarious purposes.”
He leans over and kisses my neck, tickling the skin with his warm breath and causing me to squirm beside him. “If he’d liked you the way he should have, he wouldn’t have fallen for it. I did you a favor. And Jaeg too, because he found Cali.”
I glower, even as he nuzzles my ear. “Very clever the way you’ve justified that.”
He straightens, his expression serious. “It was a dick maneuver, but I’ve grown over the last eleven years. I’m not flawless, but I want this to work.” A touch of vulnerability reflects in his eyes. If I didn’t know him, I might have missed it. “What do you think? Do you want to be my girlfriend?”
“Oh, you’re asking me now?” I say saucily.
A grin flashes across his face and he hauls me to his chest. “You’re never going to back down, are you?”
