Page 38 of Fair Play
“Is that good or bad?”
“As far as my personal life goes, most of the women that I’m not related to were either one-night stands or I’m now divorced from, so I’d say it’s very good.”
“Two divorces sound awful.”
“They were.”
“Does that mean you never want to get married again?”
“That’s a tough question. My knee-jerk response would be hell no. But I know that’s trauma talking, not my heart. I’d like to wake up next to the same woman every morning. Make love to her. Share a life together. I’ve just learned the hard way that it’s hard to find. Most of the women in my orbit were after something. Money, bragging rights, something that didn’t include building a quiet life together.”
“Does it have to be…quiet?” I ask curiously. “Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not exactly quiet. Don’t get me wrong, I like quiettime. Lazy Sunday mornings in bed. Spending a rainy day cuddled on the couch watching movies or whatever. But I also like to go out. And I’ve never had the money to travel, but that’s high on my list too.”
He’s silent for a beat. “If I’m completely honest, I haven’t put a lot of thought into it. Both of my wives wanted to be out and about all the time. Showing off at the games. Spending money like it was a full-time job. There was no such thing as quiet. Ever. I don’t know that I’ve ever spent a rainy day cuddling on the couch with a woman.”
“I’ve never been married but Joey—my boyfriend junior year of college—and I used to spend a lot of time doing that. Going to movies. There were also parties and sporting events and whatnot, but life is a balance. At least, that’s how I envision it.”
“Sounds right in theory. It just hasn’t been my experience.”
“Time to add some experiences then.” I reach across the center console and rest my hand on his thigh, squeezing lightly.
He chuckles. “I feel like we’re suddenly having two different conversations.”
“Nope. It’s the same one. Quiet and busy. Work and play. Naughty and nice.”
This time his chuckle turns into a full-on laugh. “You’re something, you know that?”
“I know.” I let my hand drift up his leg but don’t actually move between his legs. I’m a flirt and a little bit of a tease, but we’re not sleeping together yet, and I’m happy to take things slow.
“I wish I wasn’t leaving tomorrow.”
“Me too. But look on the bright side.”
“Yeah? What’s the bright side?”
“Phone sex.”
I expect laughter but the look he casts in my direction is filled with heat.
“Be careful what you wish for, Billie.”
“Why? You want me to pretend I’m not dying to get naked with you? Act all shy and demure? Because that’s not who I am. If that’s what you’re looking for then?—”
“I didn’t say that’s what I was looking for. I’m just worried that once you unleash the beast, there won’t be any turning back.”
“There was never going to be any turning back, Rome. The time to turn back is now.” I pause, suddenly a little unsure. “Are we… turning back?”
He doesn’t say anything at first, but reaches down and wraps a big, warm hand around mine.
“From the moment you kissed me earlier, I knew there was no turning back. Now it’s just a matter of how we go forward.”
Chapter 14
Rome
The last timeI went on a road trip when there was a woman in my life, we fought every single day on the phone. Via text. Even emails.
I have a feeling it’s going to be very different with Billie.
