Page 65 of Play for Keeps

He was halfway down the hall when he heard her call out, “Don’t bother on my account,” in a soft singsong.

Smiling, he ducked his head as he dodged into his bedroom. Afraid she might change her mind and bolt, he didn’t waste time indulging his vanity. He yanked a clean T-shirt from his drawer and pulled the comforting cotton over his head as he walked back toward the kitchen.

She sat at the table, rolling an unopened bottle of water between her hands. He paused, taking the opportunity to drink her in. Her brow was furrowed. Faint lines radiated from the corners of her eyes. Her hair blazed like a bonfire, but her skin was so fair he could see the shadowy blue lines of her veins at her temple. As if sensing his stare, she set the bottle on the table abruptly and wiped all traces of pensiveness from her expression.

“I probably should have called first.” She twisted her lips into an apologetic smile, but her eyes didn’t light. “Talk about making assumptions, huh?”

“No problem. I don’t have the hang-ups about it some people do.”

Ty grabbed a bottle of water for himself, then joined her at the table. Straddling a chair, he flipped back the lid on the box, and the heady aroma of spicy sauce and melted cheese came rushing out. He took a deep hit, then beamed as he reached for the roll of towels and tore one free. Being a gentleman and all, he offered the rectangle to Millie, but she shook her head, her nose wrinkling as she stared into the box.

“Is that chicken?” she asked.

“Fra diavolo sauce, three cheeses, pepperoncini, spicy chicken, peppers, and onions.” He raised his eyebrows and fixed her with a pointed look. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

She blinked and took a cautious sniff. “I guess not. Trying to hold people off for the next week or so, or practicing to become a dragon?”

“It’s good. You should try a slice.”

She snorted at his earnest encouragement. “Not without a truckload of antacids on hand.” She nudged the box toward him with her index finger. “What’s the white stuff?”

Ty smiled as he lifted a slice from the box. “A drizzle of ranch dressing to offset the spiciness.” He toasted her with the pizza. “Mind if I…?”

“No, go right ahead.” She laughed, shaking her head in what looked like amused wonder as he took a big bite.

The five-alarm flavors burst into fire on his tongue, but the taste explosion was nothing compared to the slow burn of curiosity snaking through him. “So…” He chewed around the word but waited until he swallowed to follow up. “How many condoms do I have?”

A peachy blush rose up her throat and stained her cheeks, but Millie didn’t look away. “Yes. How many?”

He surveyed the slice in his hand as if he might have the exact figure stashed under a bit of pepperoncini. “Why?”

“Because I think we need a way to measure what would be a reasonable amount of time for this…relationship to carry on. I figured we could gauge it in condoms.”

He gaped at her, amazed she actually managed to vocalize the last bit with an air of assurance that suggested her scheme was completely reasonable. But what truly rankled him was her insistence on taking the end of their relationship as a foregone conclusion.

“Why aren’t we a long-term thing?”

“What?”

“You said earlier we weren’t a long-term thing and we wouldn’t want our relationship to get all messy and emotional.” Ty forced himself to take another bite even though his appetite had taken a swift nosedive. He knew the fire burning in his chest and gut had nothing to do with the combination of toppings he’d ordered and everything to do with her, but he’d be damned if he let her think he couldn’t take the heat. “Why not?”

Her eyes widened, and she gave her head one of those little shakes meant to make him feel like he was the crazy one, but he wasn’t buying in.

“How come you get to walk in here and tell me the relationship I’m in isn’t long-term?” He used the half-eaten slice of pizza to point to his chest. “I’m in this too. I get a say.” He fixed her with an unwavering stare. “And I say it sounds like you’re the one making plans and assumptions.”

Those vibrant eyes narrowed. “Don’t try to spin me.”

“Stop trying to run the clock out.”

Millie sniffed, plucked a loose pepperoncini from the box, and popped the spicy tidbit into her mouth. He watched as she chewed the tiny morsel. Of course he watched. She knew he would. But being aware he’d stepped into quicksand wouldn’t give him any leverage when he had to pull himself out. Ty stared at her lips, recalling exactly how soft and pliant they could be, imagining them parting, picturing them as they closed around his dick.

Tearing his gaze away was almost physically painful, but he did what he had to do. “Six,” he answered tersely.

Millie nodded. “I knew we’d gone through a few. I wasn’t sure how many you had to start.”

“Buying anything more than one box seemed like tempting fate, but you know I can get more.”

“I was hoping we could go by the honor system.”

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