Page 71 of If We Never Met

"I got the text threads mixed up, and I asked the woman I wanted to date how far she would strip down and did she do lap dances?"

She laughed. "That's a good one. What did she say?"

"She said I was creepy and to never text her again. I tried to explain, but she blocked my number."

"That's worth a point."

"Well, I'm not playing this game alone. You tell me something embarrassing, something that precedes you assuming I was your date."

"Remember when I said I wasn't really a party girl? Well, that's partly because I had a very bad experience with vodka shots when I was working in New York. I got drunk at a Fashion Week party, and I was trying to find the bathroom, but there was a long line, so I headed to the patio, but I didn't make it. I threw up on the very expensive shoes of an incredibly talented Spanish designer named Manuel Valdez. He was not happy."

"I bet. What did he do?"

"He sent the bill for the shoes to my employer. Since I didn't have the money to pay, my boss said she'd pay it if I watched her monster kids for a three-day weekend. And when I say monster, I mean wild children. They threw toys at me. They painted on the walls, and they dumped spaghetti sauce into my purse."

"I'm surprised. I would have thought that kids would love you."

"They hated me, but they really hated their mom, who had dumped their dad and was off with her new boyfriend. We managed to come to a peaceful agreement on the last day. But I learned my lesson. No more vodka shots."

"That's worth a point."

"Hey, it should be worth two."

"Now who's the competitive one?"

"Me. I am competitive. Maybe not like a pro athlete, but I like to win. It's much more fun than losing."

His smile broadened. "Definitely more fun."

She let out a sigh. "This is so nice. And I don't want to get out of this bed, but I think we should probably go home soon."

"We have a little more time, don't we?"

"More time…but no more condoms."

"We can do some other stuff," he said with a spark of mischief in his eyes.

"We already did other stuff."

"I was just getting started."

"You are very tempting."

"I want to show you the benefit of not being just friends."

"You've already done that."

He ran his fingers through her hair as he gazed into her eyes. "I like you, Keira."

A shiver ran down her spine. "I kind of figured, but it's nice to hear."

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we first met."

"You've been on my mind, too, even when I didn't want you to be. And no matter what happens, I want you to know that I don't have any regrets."

"It's not morning yet."

"The sun won't change my mind," she said, hoping that was true. "I wanted to be with you tonight. Whatever comes next, even if it's nothing, is fine."

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