Page 29 of His Curvy Happiness
I snorted a shook my head, leaning back. I knew he was just saying what he thought I wanted to hear. What would be good for me to hear. It wasn’t about romance or getting me into bed. It was about teaching me how to flirt.
“You are really good.”
“At what?” he asked, finally taking a sip of his coffee.
“Flirting.” I breathed a laugh. “You have me believing you mean all the things you’re saying. It’s impressive.”
He stilled, frozen for a second, then he set his coffee down. “I’ll share the most important rule of flirting. Are you ready for it?”
I leaned closer, eager for his knowledge.
“Never lie.”
I blanched. “What?”
“Never lie. For one thing, it’s shitty. For another, people can see through it. You believe what I’m telling you because it’s the truth. I’m not making it up. You are beautiful, and I consider myself lucky to be spending time with you, for however long you want me around.”
I sucked in a breath as he leaned back, stunned by his admission. It had to be a part of it, though. Reegan wasn’t a small woman, but she was stunning. She had long dark hair that fell in gorgeous waves to her waist. She was funky and sexy and, yes, curvy, but she carried her curves in a way that I always envied. She was confident in her body and could go from casual teacher clothes to sexy night out clothes and look just as good in both.
As for me, I was lucky if I could squeeze myself into fancy clothes, let alone feel confident.
“Your BELTs,” Blake said, depositing plates in front of each of us. Both had fries covering the rest of the plate and toothpicks sticking out from the end of each of the four sandwich triangles. “Can I get you two anything else? More coffee? Or ice water?”
Landon chuckled. “I could probably use some more ice water. Cool me down some.”
Blake smirked at him and nodded. “I’ll be right back.”
“When your brain adjusts to what I just told you, I’ll share the next secret with you.”
My head snapped up. “What is it?”
“Flirting is really about talking to someone. Some people are natural flirts and seem like they are flirting with everyone they speak to. Others only flirt with someone they find attractive. But flirting, in any form, is about having a conversation and making sure the person you are talking to knows you think positively about them, whether that’s sexual or not.”
“Your ice water,” Blake said, with a hint of humor in her tone. “I’ll leave the two of you to…enjoy.”
My cheeks flamed as she walked away. I was never going back to book club.
Landon chuckled again. “Is it really so hard to believe I could be attracted to you?”
I shoved my sandwich in my mouth so I wouldn’t have to answer.
“Okay, then how about this? Your first lesson is convincing someone you want something from them. Flirting can be fun, but it can also help you to get something. You want sex, but you’re probably not looking to flirt your way into someone’s bed. Am I right?”
I nodded, still chewing the overly large bite I had taken.
“Step one becomes something smaller. Something more reasonable. Maybe a kiss. Or a date.”
I nodded. That sounded like what I needed to do. Maybe I could practice these lessons on my match. I enjoyed talking to him, and if we met up, maybe it could lead to more than just a date, but first, we needed to meet.
“It’s old-fashioned, but a lot of men like to be the ones to ask a woman out. Not all men, but a lot do. It’s part of the protector instinct. That’s not to say a man shouldn’t be able to step aside and let his partner be strong and independent, but he wants to feel like he can be there for her. He can provide for her, in some way, not always financial, but in some way.”
I nodded, feeling less and less sure about this whole thing.
“The other side of this is that when a woman asks a man out, she will stand out. She will be showing that she’s assertive and interested. And men are basically scared teenagers forever.”
I laughed.
He grinned and nodded. “I mean it. We are terrified of rejection, but we also like to be the ones who ask a woman out. It’s the worst conundrum ever.”
