Page 162 of The First Taste
“Watch it!” I protest.
He smirks at me as he sits down. In his blue jeans and snug t-shirt, with his light blue eyes and sandy blond hair, he looks like the all-American boy. The football player who you hope will ask you to homecoming.
I flush as I grab the closest ball from the ball return. In any other scenario, I would be over the moon that someone as handsome as Eric was flirting with me.
In fact, deep down, I have butterflies rumbling around in my stomach.
But as I walk toward the bowling lane, I can’t be truly happy about it. Because there is one tall, dark, and irresistibly smug problem.
Calum. Add the money he pays me and the fact that I’ve fooled around with him more than anybody else…
And yeah. Eric is dreamy. But Calum is…
Well, he’s a man. With dark three piece suits, a tumbler of whiskey, and stunning ocean blue eyes, I might add.
So what if we don’t really have anything more than a transactional relationship? Maybe it’s better that way.
We have rules. We have boundaries.
No one will get hurt.
“Can you throw the ball already?” Eric asks.
“Don’t rush me!” I say.
I wind up and toss the ball, biting my lip. As it sails neatly down the middle of the lane, I shrug. The ball strikes the pins; all the pins go down, just as I intended.
“Yes!” I cheer. I turn around, doing a little victory dance. Striding back from the lane, I grin at Eric. “That was a strike, in case you missed it.”
Eric rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I just have to get loose and then we’ll see who’s good at this game.”
Just in time for her turn, Ella comes walking down from the restaurant, her arms loaded with all kinds of food. “A little help?”
I trot over to the closest table, helping relieve her burden. She wasn’t wrong about getting one of everything. She sets down chicken fingers, curly fries, two orders of cheese sticks, and several long, sweet smelling churros. She also plunks down a pitcher of soda and cups.
“One more thing…” she says. Then she reaches in her little purse and tosses a pack of Sour Patch Kids on the table.
I look at all the food, my eyes widening. “This is a lot. Do you know how many calories are on this table right now?”
Ella narrows her eyes at me. “I got you diet soda, okay? So let’s all just enjoy the bounty.”
I smile at her. “Thanks.”
“Holy shit,” Eric says, coming up to the table. “I volunteer to be your personal Hoover, vacuuming up anything that’s leftover.”
She grins. “Help yourself. I’m going to go bowl this frame right quick.”
Eric rubs his hands together, snagging a seat. I sit down opposite him, pouring out the diet soda first. He chooses to bite in a churro first, moaning.
“Oh man,” he whispers, almost reverent. “It’s been a while since I had something that was deep fried.”
I smirk, opening my pack of candy. “Yeah?”
Ella returns after a minute, grabbing a cheese stick and enthusiastically dipping it in a little plastic ramekin of marinara. “God, I might have fantasized about this a little bit on the way over here.” She takes a bite and then groans. “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten. I’m not even lying.”
Shaking my head, I grab a curly fry and bite into it. It’s a little overcooked but still hot.
“Okay, these fries are amazing and someone will have to take them away from me at some point.”
