Page 15 of Sexy Bad Valentine

“Yes. And I love Abby. But I don’t have any spare time now, between working for the Frosts and studying.”

“Studying?”

“Finishing up my bachelor’s in early childhood education. So nannying is sort of a natural extension. Sorry, this must be boring.”

“Absolutely not.” Outside, through the giant windows that normally fill my apartment with light, I notice the rain easing up, the dark clouds dispersing; and still, I could listen to her talk for hours. Punctuated by a few more kisses of course. “What about Puppy Love? What made you decide to do that?”

“Besides my lack of time?” She shrugs with a grimace directed at her cup. “I’m not the best judge of character.” Fishing a gooey vanilla marshmallow out of her cup with her finger she holds it in front of me. “Take you for example. I find you attractive, which is probably why I’m standing in your kitchen drinking cocoa with marshmallows.”

“And why you kissed me. Don’t forget that,” I point out helpfully.

“Okay. And why I kissed you.” She glances at my lips, her gaze sticking for a few seconds before she remembers her point. “But when I asked you about dating that girl, you told me you slept with her, and that you used to do that a lot.”

“So?” I regard the melted white glob of sweetness she’s waving in front of me.

“So these are seduction marshmallows, aren’t they? They’re for when you need your so-called date to relax and let her guard down. A little cocoa and sugar while you hang out on the couch, to make her think you’re more interested than you are. Which is exactly why I should stay away from you. Well, it would be if I wasn’t doing Puppy Love.”

I wait for her to finish, each observation making me grin. Finally she pops the sugary goo in her mouth with a satisfied moan. If nothing else, the whole moment is worth that solitary sound of pleasure.

“Actually, no.”

“No?” She tilts her chin and raises an eyebrow into a questioning point.

“No, I don’t buy packets of vanilla marshmallows just to seduce women into my bed.” I put my cup down and carefully take hers from her hand, placing it next to mine before I pin her against the island. “No, I don’t make cocoa in this kitchen for the women I’ve spent the night with, and I never fake being interested beyond what I actually am.”

“Oh.” Her lips curve in astonishment at the same time her hands land on my chest. “You don’t?”

“I don’t. I’m not trying to brag here, but I have no need for props. Up until now I’ve had a somewhat simple and successful routine with women that involves making it to the front door with my shirt still on.”

“You don’t need to explain,” she bumbles, her fair skin growing rosy. “It was an observation, and look, it still proved my point.” She thumbs her chest. “Super bad judge of character.”

Not as bad as she thinks. If Deanna were here she’d have nodded along with each statement Evie made. Well, except for the one about the marshmallows. She would have glared at me like she used to when I was being a snot, and asked me how I could lie to the poor girl. Your own hyperbolic marshmallows. “It’s okay.”

“So the marshmallows are—”

“My favorite. I always have a stash in my cupboard for when I’m in the mood for something sweet.”

“Right.” She stares at my chest. “That makes sense.”

“Listen.” I take a step back. “Perhaps you should stay away from me if that’s what your instinct tells you. I won’t be upset. I get it. I’m not the sort of guy you can take seriously.”

“And there’s Puppy Love,” she says. “I’m supposed to be dating dogs, not dawgs.”

I snort when she throws my own line back at me. “My sister would like you, you know.”

“Would she?”

“Absolutely.” I mean it. Deanna would adore her. I’m certain of it. She’d tell me she was grateful she put Evie out of reach because she’s far too good for me.

A little girl’s voice bursts from Evie’s pocket, and she walks away from me as she wrangles her phone from her jacket and reads the screen. “I better head back now.”

“I’ll walk you.” Putting the mugs in the sink, I follow her through my apartment and grab our coats before locking up. “I should really get back to work.”

“Those dogs won’t walk themselves.” She presses her lips together as though she’s about to laugh and then thought better of it. “How does a dog walker end up with an apartment like that anyway?”

Through hard work and helping to take his sister’s company global.

“It belongs to my sister.”One more small white lie won’t hurt. Especially since I’ve lost her interest before I could even claim it. There’s a first time in life for everything, and right now I’m regretting how little I’ve bothered to learn about women.

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