Page 36 of Hot Response
“Brockton.”
“You’re taking me to Brockton for our first date?”
He broke out the charming smile. “So itisa date, then?”
“Yeah, I’ll have pizza with you. And it’s a date.” When he scowled slightly, she cocked her head. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m trying to figure out if there’s any way I can make it the second or third date.”
“Nope.” She shook her head firmly. “Veggie omelets together wasn’t a date. That was an apology. And beer at Kincaid’s could have been our first date, but you blew that. And being here now isn’t a date. So pizza in Brockton will be our first date.”
She really hoped Gavin didn’t have athingabout putting out on the first date because she had plans for him later. And if he was still trying to be a gentleman, then...well, they’d just have to negotiate terms for his surrender.
* * *
Cait wasn’t sure what was so special about the place Gavin brought her, but she’d enjoyed the drive. They took his truck and, after skipping over the country stations as quickly as possible, he found a radio station with songs she didn’t hate. He kept the music low, anyway, while they talked—mostly funny stories from their childhoods. They both had very bossy older sisters, so they bonded over that.
He held her hand, their arms resting on the center console, and every once in a while, he would run the tip of his thumb in circles against her palm.
It wasn’t a bad way to spend almost forty minutes on the road. And he’d been right. She was hungry for actual food by the time they pulled into the parking lot.
She didn’t even think to wait for him to walk around and open her door for him, but he met her in front of the truck and held out his hand. When she threaded her fingers through his, she felt a fleeting sense of panic.
It hadn’t been so long ago that the mere sight of him was enough to annoy her. And yet here they were, holding hands like they were a couple. Were they a couple? Or was this just an extension of the very mini vacation from her life he’d offered her with his apartment?
She didn’t know, but it felt right and she was enjoying herself, so she was going to go with it.
“So what kind of pizza do you like?” he asked, once they’d been seated at a fairly private table and given menus. They were seated across from one another, and his leg rested lightly against hers.
She shrugged, because she wasn’t really picky. “I like most toppings that aren’t vegetables. Except mushrooms, I guess. They aren’t my favorite, but I can live with mushrooms in a combo with something else. My mom loves them, so I’ve had to develop coping skills over the years.”
“How about buffalo macaroni and cheese?”
“I like...” She stopped, frowning. “Wait. Do you mean on a pizza?”
“Yeah. Baked macaroni and cheese with buffalo chicken. And, bonus, it doesn’t have any vegetables.”
“When I said I like most toppings, I meant normal ones. Pepperoni. Sausage. Maybe some bacon. I’ll even have a slice of Hawaiian in a pinch, though I personally think pineapple on a pizza is a little sketchy.”
He raised one eyebrow, and then his mouth curved into a smile. “Do you trust me?”
“No.”
Gavin’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Pizza’s serious business. It takes time to build that kind of trust.”
“I can’t earn your trust if you don’t let me try.”
She considered that, and he was right. “Okay, I’ll try it. But just know I can hold a grudge for a long time.”
He winked at her as the server approached. “I won’t let you down.”
They both ordered sodas and he took care of ordering the pizza. Cait shook her head at the offer of bread, because of the doughnuts, and because putting baked macaroni and cheese and buffalo chicken on a pizza probably didn’t do much for its calorie count.
When they were alone again, he reached across the table and took her hand in his. It seemed as though he was a very touchy-feely person, which was sweet. Cait wasn’t, really, and her mom and Duke hadn’t been much for touching in public. But she liked the contact, and the fact he wanted it.
But when he ran his thumb over her nail, she wanted to curl her fingers and hide her hands from him. “I’m not really good at the whole long-fingernail thing, I guess. Or nail polish.”
