Page 20 of Light Up My Life (Forbidden Heat 3)

“That’s a bit of a forward question, isn’t it?” I replied teasing him. Lance didn’t get flustered for a second.

“No. It’s pretty straight forward.”

“It’s presumptuous. How do you know I’m single?”

“Just a feeling I have.”

“Do you think I’m putting off some sort of a vibe?”

“Maybe,” he replied. “There is no way for me to actually know that, now is there?”

I shrugged. “I suppose not.”

“So, are you close with your family?”

The question caught me way off guard and I covered it. “Don’t change the subject because you know you are about to get roasted.”

“Roasted? In what way?”

“Are you trying to tell me that I am the type of woman who is usually single? Like, I can’t keep a man?”

I was laying it on thick and having so much fun doing it. This was turning into a little game. I wondered how well he would pass this test of cynicism.

“Maybe,” he replied. “I don’t know you that well, but you do put off a certain vibe.”

“What vibe is that?”

“You give off the impression that you are either taken, or that the last thing you want is some guy trying to hit on you.”

“And that is why you came over? You wanted to prove how brave you are?” I could hardly keep from smiling.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s about the idea. And I was right.”

“How did you know you would be?”

He took a long, slow drink of his beer. He was in no hurry. He sat the bottle down and stared at it for a moment as if it was the best drink he’d had in a while.

“I’ll be honest,” he replied. “I didn’t really know. But I took the chance and it turned out to be right on the money. You see, women unconsciously put out a feeling to the universe when they are happy in a relationship that tells other guys that they should back off. It is a friendly vibe, one that says ‘Thanks, but no thanks. Good luck in your search’.”

I couldn’t stop laughing. He was so full of shit.

“And when they aren’t with someone? Are they mad at men or the world? Or do they not want to be bothered by the likes of me, so they put out a very different vibe? Ex: This one is angry, and defensive. If a guy approaches, she will typically ignore him completely if she is not interested. But if she is interested, she will glare at him and give really short, annoying answers. Ultimately, she is still giving him her time. That’s my theory anyway. I might be completely off.”

“Yes,” I replied. “You are completely full of it. That’s hilarious though. You should write a book about your theory and see if guys buy into it.”

He rubbed his chin. “Nah, who has the time for that?”

I drank my beer slowly and I was actually starting to get into the music a bit. This had been an interesting evening so far. I was really glad I came out, and I suddenly wasn’t so tired anymore.

“I can imagine,” I said. “You would have a lot more time if you quit the fire gig and relied on your laurels.”

“No, they are not my laurels. They are my fathers. And you know, I have a feeling he is going to end up cutting me off completely. But for now, I will just make do with what I get from the universe. I have a career I love, and I will always do that. I don’t see why I would ever stop.”

“Isn’t it highly dangerous? And if you don’t have to do it… I don’t see why you would.”

“You sound like my dad, now,” he replied.

“Maybe he has a few good points.”

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