Page 27 of A Lesson for Laurel

“I’ll take a club soda with lime,” she said. Her wine was almost done and she’d finish it with dinner. Easton got another beer.

They started to eat and didn’t talk about what they wanted after that. “This is good,” he said of the steak he was eating.

She felt as if she came off too strong and hated that. “You’re quiet,” she said. “Too much?”

He looked up and held her stare. “No. I’m absorbing it all.”

She laughed. “Which means it was a lot. I’m sorry. I don’t usually come off that way. Or never used to.”

“You have to be you,” he said. “Just like I have to be me.”

“That’s true,” she said. “Sometimes it works and compromise is the name of the game. Other times there is just too much to overcome.”

“I don’t believe there is too much to overcome in life if you want it bad enough.”

She smiled over his words. “I think you’re right.”

An hour later after she’d had another glass of wine at her place with him drinking another beer, he pulled her in and laid his lips to hers. She was wondering if that was going to happen and was thrilled it did.

Maybe running her mouth wasn’t that bad of a thing.

His hand went into her hair and held her head in place while he showed her how a real man kissed. Not a gentle little peck to test the waters. In her mind, they’d jumped in to their ankles already with the dinner conversation.

This was more like them standing waist-deep in a hot tub, their lips on fire as his tongue swooped in and took control.

She let him too.

She held on because she started to wonder if she’d fall down and lose some hair in the process if she didn’t anchor herself to him.

And when he ended the kiss, she sagged like she knew she would, his fingers loosening the grip on her scalp.

“I guess I didn’t ruin it by coming off too strong,” she said.

“Nah,” he said. “Or maybe I want you to think of the kiss later tonight and not the conversation.”

It was the smirk and the rise of his eyebrows that had her blushing and heat filling her body faster than she thought was possible.

“I’m pretty sure that is going to happen.”

10

STAKED YOUR CLAIM

“I’m fucked,” Easton said the next morning when he was talking to Abe.

It was their weekly Sunday call to catch up on business and anything else going on that he was able to put off.

“What’s going on?” Abe asked.

“I went on another date with Laurel last night.”

“Damn,” Abe said. “I think you covering for me is working for you and messed me up. I’m the neighbor. It should be me and not you.”

“Don’t go there,” he said.

“That growl said it all,” Abe said. “You staked your claim. Got it.”

“We aren’t in tenth grade anymore.”

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