Page 102 of Fish out of Water
And that something was the woman staring at me with lust in her eyes.
Julia nodded. “Big fan.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” I set the bag on the counter of the wet bar that ran along the backside of the room. “What else are you a fan of?”
“Besides lava cake?” Julia wiggled her brows at me as she wandered around the room, looking at each of the posters I’d collected over the years.
“And hot dogs.” I pulled out the container of chocolate cake and set it on the counter.
“Hmm.” She paused at the last poster in the lineup. “I like trees.”
“That makes sense considering your profession.” I popped the lid off the cake and carried it to where she stood staring at the poster for the last movie I saw with my dad before he died. I held out the dessert. “Why do you like trees so much?”
Her gaze was fixed on Natalie Portman’s face, but the look in her eyes was far away. “It was the only time I felt free.” She barely blinked. “I wasn’t supposed to climb them. It was immodest.” The focus came back as she turned my way. “I did it anyway.”
“Good.” I held out the container of cake. “And now you can climb all the trees you want.”
She took the cake, passing off one of the forks in her hand. “And I get paid for it.”
“Seems poetic to me.” I watched as she took a bite of the cake. “You get to repay them for the freedom they gave you.”
Julia stopped chewing, her eyes fixing on my face.
“What?” I almost stepped back, literally and figuratively.
I tried to keep myself simple. Tried not to dig too deep in anyone else’s life because I didn’t want them digging into mine.
But I couldn’t do that with Julia. I wanted to know all that simmered under the surface.
And I was willing to trade my truth for hers.
She swallowed the bite in her mouth. “I’m just not used to men understanding things like that.”
“I’d ask what kind of men you’ve been dating, but I’m afraid you might show me again.”
Julia’s head tipped back on a cackle. “I didn’t date any of those guys. An unsolicited dick pic immediately took them off the list.”
“So you have a list?” I tried to sound casual, but the thought of her considering anyone else made me agitated.
Julia lifted one shoulder. “It’s hard to find someone who really gets you, you know?”
I did know.
Thought it was impossible.
But now…
“You’re the only woman I’m seeing, Jules.”
Her eyes barely widened. “Seeing?”
“That’s right. Seeing.” I usually held back with the women I dated.
Tried not to put labels on the time we spent together.
But I wanted to label this.
I wanted it to be clear what we were.
