Page 29 of Play to Win
“You’re reading my book, so I’m flattered,” she continued. “And to be quite honest, I am actually enjoying the way you—I mean, we—have been able to implement the things I wrote into reality. It’s what my work is all about.”
So this was an experiment for her. Okay, that was cool. Ethan could get behind that. Experiments weren’t permanent. There were no expectations beyond the question the project sought to answer. He nodded and lifted a hand to drag down the back of his head.
“Glad I can be of assistance,” he said, for lack of a better response. And then, “I need a beer. How about you?”
She chuckled and for an instant, Ethan felt at ease. The sound seemed so natural and lit up her face. He should just relax. She obviously wasn’t angry about his words, so why should he still feel uncomfortable about her having heard them? He had no idea and didn’t want to waste any more time contemplating an issue, that apparently wasn’t really an issue.
“Sure. How about I get us both a beer?” She’d moved around him and was reaching into the cooler he’d just filled while Ethan still stood there not knowing what to say.
He’d never been rendered speechless by a woman before. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. His mother’s actions had been something Ethan hadn’t talked about for years after it had happened. And then there was Savannah. No, it seemed Ethan was well-versed in what women could do to him. Well-versed and wary, which made him even happier when he accepted the beer from Portia. He knew very well what to expect from women and wasn’t about to take a walk down the path of disappointment again. So, it was good that Portia was on board with the temporary nature of whatever they were doing together.
Ethan pulled the top off the beer and took a deep drag.
It was damn good.
