Page 39 of Wedding Season
“Do you also want to tell me how I looked like I had a stick up my butt before today?”
He shook his head slowly. “That was never what I thought when I noticed your butt.”
She couldn’t help the laugh that escaped at his words. “Are you objectifying me?”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
“Good.” She placed her bag in the trunk then turned. “Thank you for not making this day awkward.”
“Despite what you might believe, I’m not out to get you.”
“It’s easier for me to believe you are.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t want to like you, Alex. I sure as hell don’t want to want you. That would be stupid for both of us.”
“But you do?”
She rolled her eyes. “Maybe you don’t remember our kiss. I think I made it pretty obvious how I feel about you.”
“Trust me, I remember. I also know we were both there for it. But you were the one who called it a mistake.”
“You were the one who said it would never happen again.” She held up a hand before he could speak. “And I agree with you.”
“That’s a first.”
Cam and Emma approached the two of them. “We’re taking off,” Cam said. “Good job not clawing each other’s eyes out on the boat today.”
Emma smacked his shoulder.
“What?” he demanded. “You know it’s true. They’re sworn enemies.”
“That might be taking it a bit far,” Alex said, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck.
Cam chuckled. “We’ll leave it at a good day all the way around.”
Emma came forward and gave Mariella another hug before walking away hand in hand with Cam.
“They are annoyingly cute together,” Mariella said when she and Alex were alone again.
“Another thing we agree on,” he told her with a smile. “This is becoming a habit.”
“We are not enemies.” She wasn’t sure why she felt the need to confirm that, but it seemed to make Alex happy.
“Would you like to get dinner?” he asked suddenly. “It doesn’t have to mean anything other than we’re not enemies. I know this great little seafood joint down here that has the best oysters you’ve ever tried.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Yes on dinner, no for oysters. They remind me too much of eating snot.”
His grin widened. “Snot, huh? I can see why that isn’t appetizing. Why don’t you leave your car here and we can drive down together? I’ll drop you off later.”
If someone had asked her a few weeks ago about the possibility of having a friendly meal with Alex Ralsten, she would have laughed. Now she nodded.
She could tell herself all she wanted that she was just doing this because she had no other plans but it wasn’t the whole truth.
It didn’t take into account the part of her that simply wanted to spend more time with Alex. That part held sway more than any other, and she was tired of trying to find a way to ignore it.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
