Page 13 of Sawyer
His chuckle did nothing to calm her shivering. “I’m pretty sure you have to travel to France. No mowing your lawn. Got me?”
She nodded, her forehead rubbing against the grain of the wooden bar. Maybe it would open up and swallow her whole. He worked a finger under her chin and tilted her face to him. “Good girl,” he rumbled.
Gah! That voice was going to kill her. But what a way to go.
Giving herself a mental shake, she stood. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like a cheeseburger and fries?”
“Is it any good?”
“Does a bear poop in the woods?”
He barked out a laugh. “I’ve never heard it phrased quite that way, but yes. And I’d love a cheeseburger and fries. And another beer.”
Practically tossing a beer at him, Lele turned and fled to the kitchen. Two burger and fries plates later, she joined him on the customer side of the counter while they split a giant Chipwich for dessert.
She froze when he reached over with a napkin and wiped her chin. Heat filled her cheeks. He shrugged. “You had ice cream on your chin.”
He didn’t need to wipe her chin for her like a sloppy kid. Besides, that was a waste of perfectly good ice cream. “You could have told me. That’s what I have a tongue for.”
Horror froze her in place. She didnotjust say that.
His lids lowered as heat flooded his eyes. “If I’d known that was an option, I’d have used mine.”
No words. She had no words. What did you say to that?
Thanks for wanting to lick me?
Nope. No. Absolutely not.
“You know what they say, though,” he continued, as if she hadnot just humiliated the crap out of herself. “If I lick you, you’re mine.”
Her lungs froze in place. Which was fine because she’d forgotten how to breathe anyway. To make matters worse, he smiled at her. He had a great smile. Like a panty-melting, drool-inducingly great smile.
Silence held rein for a minute, which he finally broke. “So, tell me about yourself. Best and worst. Ready?”
Best and worst? What the heck did that mean? Before she could ask, she showed her.
“Candy. Best candy and worst candy. My favorite is jellybeans. The draft beer and red chili pepper flavors. Worst candy on the planet? Circus candy peanuts. That stuff tastes like foam rubber.” Challenge filled his gaze when he asked, “So, what’s your best and worst?”
She loved a challenge. She never backed down. Never. “Worst candy, black licorice. Best candy, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.”
He grinned. “You have to be more specific. Is that white chocolate, dark thins, big cup, pieces… what kind of Reese’s?”
As if there were any decent Reese’s except the original. She put all the disdain she could manage into her words. “The original. Okay, it’s my turn. Worst and best movie.”
“You’re pitching softball choices, Lele. The best movie ever filmed, Dumb and Dumber. They don’t get better than that. Worst movie? That’s harder, but I’d have to say when they made the movie adaptation of Borderlands. Tragic. What’s yours?”
“Best movie, either Despicable Me, the first one, if I have to choose, but I love them all. Even Minions. Worst Movie? When I was in—I mean, someone talked me into watching this movie called Deep Impact. At the end, not only did the main girl die, but then it turned out her sacrifice wasn’t even necessary. I’m changing my answer. Any movie that makes me cry, I hate.” Therewas too much in real life to cry about. She wasn’t about to cry over stuff someone made up.
Saul nodded. “That’s an old movie. Where did you say you saw it?”
“I didn’t. It’s my turn, right? How about the best and worst date?”
Date? Really? That was what came out of her mouth?
She couldn’t have said song, or subject in school, or dentist? Anything would be better than a date. What was she supposed to talk about? She’d never even been on a date, really. When you go from being the town’s scapegoat to the town’s black sheep, your dating life is pretty much nonexistent.
“Best date was when Jenny Talton and I hiked the Appalachian Trail for the weekend right before I left for boot camp on Parris Island. We had a lot of, um… fun. The worst date I ever had was with Trudy Carter. We went to the fair and then to a movie. I had a hot dog at the fair. It gave me food poisoning, and I threw up in her lap at the drive-in.”
