Page 36 of Unexpecting

″What’s that supposed to mean?” I cried with exasperation. “You don’t like the thought of what sharing a meal will do to me?”

″Okay, sorry. Ah-ha!” J.B. said in a falsetto voice, trying his best to sound jovial. It was pretty pathetic, and I had to laugh.

″Do you really think this is a bad idea?” I asked.

″I don’t think it matters what I think,” J.B. told me, leaning forward to grab his beer. His shoulder brushed against mine. “Sounds to me you’ve got your mind set on seeing how this plays out, and no one can change your mind. I just hope you’re happy with how it turns out.”

″You mean if David and I…”

″I got the impression that you’re playing for keeps in this one, Case.” J.B. turned the full weight of his beautiful blue eyes on me. “Is that really what you want?”

I couldn’t turn away. I couldn’t even blink. I felt like I was drowning in the blueness, and any moment J.B. would put his arms around me and drag me to shore.

″I don’t know,” I muttered, finally snapping out of it.

″I think you better figure out what you want.” He trailed a cool finger down my cheek. “I think you’re looking too hard.”

I had to turn away from him. I had to move away from him because right then there was a very insistent pulse beating somewhere it had no reason to be beating. I crawled into the corner of the couch and tucked up my legs so that they were between me and J.B.

″Do you need me to keep rubbing?” J.B. asked.

″No, I think I’m okay. But look, I have a favour to ask.” If I weren’t so desperate to change the subject, I would never have brought this up now, but it seemed cowardly to go running off to my room.

″Shoot.”

“It’s for Morgan. She’s got this wedding coming up and Anil will be there, and Brit suggested that she get a really hot guy to take her. And, well, the consensus is that you’re the hottest guy she knows.”

″She thinks I’m hot, does she?” he asked with a smug smile.

I ignored the smile and continued to plunge forward. “She does, and so does Anil. Brit thinks if Anil sees her with you, it will get him all hot and bothered and racing back to her. At least, that’s the plan.”

J.B. took another drink from his bottle. “You’re serious about this?”

″I didn’t come up with the idea; I’m just the messenger. You can say no if you want.” Even to my ears, the whole thing sounded absurd, and if I hadn’t promised Morgan to talk to him, I wouldn’t have said a word. What was I thinking—especially asking him now? Or even anytime. It was just a bad idea.

″When is this wedding?” he asked so casually that I couldn’t decide if he was for or against the idea. A big part of me hoped he was against it.

″Last weekend in July. It’s a Sunday.”

″My day off. Who’s tying the knot?”

″Marie and Michael. I think you might have met them—Irish couple. Really nice.”

″Are you going?”

″No, they’re keeping it really small.”

″Hmm. What do you think?”

″About you taking her? I don’t know.” Like I’m about to tell him every inch of me is screaming Don’t take her! “She really wants someone to go with her and doesn’t want the hassle of meeting someone new just for this. I’m sure Brit has another option if you don’t want to go.”

″I don’t think I’ve got anything else on. Tell her I’ll think about it, check my schedule, and all that stuff. Don’t want her to think I’m too easy.”

″No. It’s just… it’s nice of you to do that for Morgan.”

″Morgan’s a cool chick. Brit, on the other hand…” I had to laugh at his tone. I was well aware of his feelings for Brit. Neither he nor Cooper have ever understood my friendship with Brit, and my explanations don’t do it justice because usually I don’t understand it myself. “Plus it might make things easier for you, so you don’t have to listen to her go on and on about it. Happy to help out,” he continued casually.

″Thanks.” I secured Morgan a date, but I was not ecstatic with the idea. But no one needed to know that. “But you, you won’t… you won’t, will you?” I stammered, trying not to say the words, but desperate to get my meaning across.

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