Page 20 of Anchored Love
“Ouch. I’m doing this whole pretend boyfriend thing completely wrong if you’re already counting the days down until you get rid of me.” I tried teasing to break the tension that seemed to form.
Her eyes flew to me, wide in apparent shock. “I don’t mean it like that. You know I don’t.”
Giving her a smile, her shoulders seemed to lose a bit of the tension. “You’re going to have to confess reason number two if you expect me to buy that lame reasoning.”
Her head shook as the waiter dropped off some rolls in a basket. Once he left, she answered, “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”
“Not in the slightest.” I held out the basket to her, and she shook her head. Hungry, I grabbed a dinner roll to tie me over until our food was brought out. Pinching off the corner and dipping it in butter, it melted in my mouth.
“You really want me to say it?” A flush came over her neck, spidering up further. She was really embarrassed. It made me want to know all the more.
“Humor me, Ev. Don’t hold back. We’re friends.”
She tossed back her wine, finishing the glass in one big gulp. Her gaze met mine. Cheeks now flushed pink as well under the lighting. “Whew.” She sucked in a breath. “Why is this so hard?” Her hands flexed into fists a few times as her chest rose and fell.
“You tell me.” I was beginning to worry a bit. Did I do something back in the day to freak her out? Was there something I missed? Thinking back to when we were teenagers, hanging out in their basement eating pizza, watching scary movies, and playing video games, nothing came to mind. Occasionally, Drake and I would sneak into the liquor cabinet and replace what we'd drank with water, but there was nothing specific to Everly.
Her lip worried once again. She breathed out deep. “The thing is, back then … in high school.” She paused, making my mind race. When she spoke, she shocked the shit out me. “I had this terribly embarrassing crush on you.”
Hearing this instead of me being an asshole to her was a relief, but there was something I needed to know. “And now?”
“Mason,” she hissed, and before I could push for more, the waiter showed up to serve our dinner. She smiled at the man, completely avoiding the question.
Giving her that play, we ate in comfortable silence. Everly focused on her shrimp pasta, and I cut into my juicy steak and took a bite. One thing was for sure—the food was damn good.
After eating for a bit, I didn’t let her off the hook. “You didn’t answer my question.”
She gave me one of those sexy smiles. “I’m still debating my answer. I’ll get back to you.”
The woman was killing me. “Would it help if I told you that back then I used to hang around so much on the weekends because it meant I got to see you.”
Her widened eyes were beautiful. She had no idea how I felt all those years ago. I did a damn good job hiding it. “You’re just saying that.”
“Scout’s honor.” I held two fingers up together in mock solute.
“Were you ever even in the scouts?” She burst out laughing.
“I swore an oath of secrecy. I can neither confirm nor deny this information.”
“Now who’s the bullshitter here,” she teased back.
“Dessert?”
She looked down at her body. A sexy body, I might add. “Hmm … not in this dress. I may bust out of it.”
Oh, the visions that played through my head went rapid. “At least wait ’til we get to the room. I don’t see any oars nearby to beat the men off with, and I’d hate to stab someone with my steak knife.”
“Ha. Ha. Funny.” While she thought it was funny, it was damn true. All the male eyes on her did not go unnoticed. She garnered their full attention. I noticed a few wives or girlfriends getting annoyed with the way their man stared after Everly.
“Come on; let’s take a walk. The night is young and full of possibilities.”
“You flirting with me?” she asked, rising from her chair, and I followed suit.
“Maybe I am. Just don’t go telling your big brother on me.” She smiled, the vision nearly knocking me on my ass.
“I think it’s a bit late for that. I did invite you on this cruise and to his wedding, after all.” Her voice dropped low to a whisper. “I think he’s on to us. Just saying.”
Taking her hand in mine, we laced our fingers together. I escorted her to one of the observation decks to take in the night ocean air.
Everly stood next to me, the moonlight shining bright. The full moon held hope that anything was possible. Maybe I’d get my chance to kiss her once and for all. She smiled at me, lips full of promise.
