Page 53 of Good as Gold
“Um, no? I mean, I could make an argument either way.”
Laughing, he shakes his head. “Really? Miss I-only-use-organic-lip-balm doesn’t care? I would have thought the whole all-natural aspect of the DIY method was part of your calculus.”
“Well…” I clear my throat. “Natural probably works best. It’s just true. But I’d never want to make things awkward between us.”
Matteo leans over, forearms on the bar, and gets close enough to me for a very private conversation. “You don’t want to make things awkward.”
I shake my head. “As much as I want a child, I wouldn’t want to ruin our friendship.”
“Huh. So let’s talk this through. Behind door number one, we have old-fashioned sex. Everybody gets a little stress relief, and we make a baby the old-fashioned way.”
He makes that sound so simple and breezy. But taking my clothes off with Matteo? I want to fan myself just thinking about it.
“Now, door number two is a situation where I come over to your place, and you hand me a paper cup. I go hide in your bathroom for twenty minutes with some porn on my phone and rub one out while you turn the TV up and pretend not to picture me doing it. Do I have that right?”
I nod, and my face is volcanic.
“Uh-huh,” he says thoughtfully. “Then you go lie down in the bedroom with a cup of my still-warm spooge and try to get it all the way up where it counts. Then we order a pizza and repeat the whole process a couple hours later?”
I gulp.
“Sure, babe. That doesn’t sound awkward at all.” He tips his head back and laughs.
“Okay. Well.” I eye the fire extinguisher behind the bar, wondering if we might need it for my face. “When you put it that way.”
He laughs harder.
“I didn’t know you were actually thinking about this.”
“Can’t seem to think about anything else.” He shrugs. “The question is, though, whether I’m considering it because it’s generous. Or because I want to bang you.”
Oh my. His smile is full of heat, and I feel it everywhere. “Couldn’t it be, um, both?”
His smile fades as he removes his apron. “I guess.”
The other bartender emerges from the kitchen. “All set back here. Should I shut off the lights?”
“Sure thing!” Matteo calls.
I slide off the barstool, my heart pounding. Did we really just have that conversation?
Matteo ducks under the bar, keys in his hand. I head for the door like a zombie, my mind spinning with questions, and a few inappropriate images.
“Leila, honey? Isn’t that your stuff?” He points at the bar, where I’ve left all my worldly possessions.
“Uh, yup.” I hurry back and grab them. “Sorry.”
“No problem,” he says. But his smile knows all my secrets.
CHAPTER19
MATTEO
I’m cutting limes behind the bar at the Gin Mill when Cara’s text comes in.
Buddy, I asked 50k and some fool said yes.
I read it twice before responding.
