Page 21 of Next in Line
I stare at Miles with a slow shake of my head. “Come on, man.”
He closes his eyes and presses his hand to his face. “I know. Goddamnit, I’m just going to give you my man card now because I’m sure that’s not going to be the last cheesy thing that comes out of my mouth tonight. Living with a romance novelist is ruining me.”
I laugh and yank Miles inside to say hello to my family while I run upstairs to give my nephews and niece a hug goodbye. After buttoning a couple more buttons on my green flannel shirt, I ask, “Am I dressed okay?”
Miles looks me up and down. “You’re wearing boots, jeans, and a flannel…that’s basically the Boulder dress code, bro. You look fine. Let’s go.”
I leave my SUV in the driveway and hop into Miles’s truck. I hold my hands up to the heat vents, still feeling a nip on my skin from fishing earlier today.
“So did you see her?” Miles asks as he maneuvers out of the neighborhood.
“See who?” I ask, eyeing him curiously.
“The ice fishing hottie.”
I huff out a laugh. “Oh, I saw her all right.”
Miles hits the steering wheel. “Yeah, you did! Did you get birthday sex already? I was prepared to wingman you tonight.”
My brow furrows. “I did not get birthday sex.”
“So what happened?”
“Nothing, technically, but goddamn, I don’t know, man. This girl makes me fucking crazy. She’s young but not necessarily immature, just like idealistic or some shit. And she’s crazy hot. I got a glimpse of her tits, and they are like two water balloons that I know would fit perfectly in my hands.”
“Nice,” Miles replies with a knowing nod. “Gotta love a good handful.”
“Right,” I reply. “She’s like no one I’ve ever hooked up with before, which I think is why I can’t seem to stay away from her. And every once in a while, she gets a spark in her eye that makes me want to…”
“What?” Miles asks, his tongue nearly hanging out of his mouth as he listens intently. “Fuck her in a tent in the woods so people in the next campsite over can hear you and give you a mental high five?”
I eye him curiously. “I was thinking more like throw her up against a wall, but sure, your tent idea sounds pretty nice too.”
“Damn right, it does.” He fist-bumps me.
I stare out the window at the fresh snow that’s begun falling. I love fresh snow. It’s so…untainted. “This might actually be the first girl I break some rules for, Miles.”
“Shock, awe, stupor, aghast, agog.”
“What are you doing?” I ask, turning to Miles as he continues watching the road.
“I’m giving you adjectives for the word shock because I’m in major shock right now.”
“Why are you giving me adjectives?”
“It’s just something I do with Kate when she’s looking for a better word in her book. I thought I could make it a thing between you and me too.” His face looks so hopeful. I almost feel bad for crushing it.
Almost.
“Nah, man. I’m going to have to pass on that one.”
Miles rolls his eyes. “Whatever. I’m just saying I’m amazed you’re breaking any rules for this chick. Since the day I met you, you’ve been playing musical beds with chicks left and right.”
“Nothing is changing there,” I confirm, eyeing him seriously so he fully hears me. “I’m not getting into a relationship with the chick. She has serious baggage that I’m not interested in saddling myself with. You know I don’t do serious after watching what my dad did to my mom. I’m never going down that path. I just exchanged phone numbers with her, so musical beds is an option. That’s all.”
“Fair enough,” Miles replies, nodding thoughtfully as we stop at a red light on Pearl Street. “Still, though, exchanging numbers is not something you’ve done before.”
“I know,” I reply with a deep breath. “This one makes me do weird things.”
