Page 11 of Bountiful
“Frogs?Like, the kind that hop throughponds?”
“Is there another kindoffrog?”
For some reason this struck me as hilarious. And when I laughed, shedid,too.
“City boy, much?” sheasked.
“Yeah. Brooklyn. But Igrewup…”
Her hand moved so fast that the woman would have made a decent goalie. She covered my mouth with her slim palm. “No personalstuff.”
“Why?” I asked after pushing her hand offmylips.
She shook her head. “This is just about sex. Don’twreckit.”
Hmm. “Is this about the bearded guy tonight?Yourex?”
She turned her face away. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Nobody had ever accused me of being smooth with people’semotions.
“Sorry,” I said quickly. “None of mybusiness.”
“It really isn’t,” sheagreed.
“More forme,then.”
She huffed out a laugh and gave me a friendly smack on the thigh. “Come on. I have to be up early,” she said matter-of-factly. “You’dbettergo.”
“Um…” Honest to God, it took my poor little brain a moment to figure out that she was kicking me out of her bed.WTF?said my ego. I was a professional athlete and accustomed to delivering all the eviction notices. “Okay. Is this because I brought upyourex?”
“Not hardly. It’s just late. I had afuntime.”
Well, ouch. Those were words I’d said on more than one occasion when I wanted to hurry out of some woman’s bed. It’s just that I’d never heard them before,myself.
I sat up. “Lucky for you, we can have a fun time again later in the week. You work everyweeknight?”
She turned her head and studied me. Those coal-black eyes were more critical than I was used to seeing fromwomen.
Staring back at Zara was really no hardship, though. She was as pretty as the day is long. And I found myself noticing things about her that I don’t usually bother to notice. The length of her neck. The way her tanned skin passed over her regal-looking collar bone. Her nipples were dark against small, perfectbreasts.
“I work most nights,” she said eventually. “I manage the bar for myuncle.”
“Right,” I said, having already figured that out. “So I’ll come by on Wednesday orThursday.”
“Maybe I won’t feel like hanging out after work,” she said. But her eyes made a trip down mychest.
“Maybe you will, though,” I said cheerfully. This was more fun than I’d had in months. She made me work for it. Nobody ever did that. Not since I was a poor rookie in the minors. And often noteventhen.
“We’ll see,” she said. But her gaze was softandlazy.
I leaned over and kissed her nose. “You’re fun to talk to. Youknowthat?”
“Talk, huh?” She gave me a slightly embarrassedsmile.
“Yeah. And other stuff, too.” I winked, and she actually blushed. A little,anyway.
Then, for the first time in my life, I got out of bed with a woman before I was ready. I put on my clothes while shewatched.
“Don’t get up,” I said. It was a joke because she didn’t look like someone who was about to escort me tothedoor.
