Page 108 of Love in Riverbend
He runs his palm over his face. “No. I’m usually the one to say the wrong thing without considering the consequences. It’s a gift I have.”
My cheeks rise as I smile, looking down and back up. “I’m not the type to slip away from a party.” I reach out and lay my fingers on his arm. There’s something electric in the touch. With his jacket off, the sleeves of his thermal shirt are pushed up and my fingers land on his muscular forearm. Quickly, I pull my hand away. “I don’t mean to sound like I’m some crazy partier.”
Justin is staring down at where I touched him.
Could he have felt the jolt I did, or is he upset we touched?
When his gaze meets mine, his lopsided smile grows. “I guess we can assess. You’re not a crazy partier, and I’m not a creep or a perv.”
“Can we?”
“Take my word for it.”
“Are you to be trusted?” I ask with an unfamiliar flirtatiousness to my tone.
He lifts both of his hands as if in surrender. “The utmost trustworthy-est.” He leans closer. “I can even keep the secret of your name.”
“Well,” I say, stretching out the word. “Back to this assessment of not being a creep or perv. Are you willing to answer a few questions?”
“Give it your best shot.”
Turning toward him, I lift one eyebrow. “Have you ever walked around town in only a long raincoat?”
“Oh my God,” he nearly shouts with a laugh. “That would be a hard no.”
I lift both eyebrows. “Hard?”
That earns me a smirk.
“Okay, if we’re doing this,” Justin says, “and if I’m to believe you’re not a crazy partier, you need to answer my questions.”
“Seems fair.”
“Have you ever awakened in an unfamiliar place, meaning you partied a bit too hard?”
“Never.”
“Have you ever made what you later consider to be bad decisions based on the consumption of mind-altering substances?”
“How did you get a second question?” I ask. “I think it’s my turn.”
“Is that a yes?”
Shaking my head, I grin. “It’s definitely a no. Now, have you ever stalked a girl, or guy if that’s your choice, either in person or online?”
“Girl,” he says definitively. “Woman, one of the female persuasion. I admit to a bit of social media stalking but never in person and only to…you know, get a better idea what she likes.”
I scrunch my nose. “Hmm. That seems a little iffy.”
“My intentions were pure.”
“So, if I tell you my name, you’ll search my online presence?”
“And if I tell you my last name, you won’t?”
I shake my head. “No, Justin, I won’t. I don’t want to know what you post online. I’d rather get the answers to my questions by asking you, talking to you, you know…that old-fashion stuff.”
The swirl in his blue eyes intensifies, like the sharpening of a camera’s focus, staring directly at me.
