Page 44 of Those Who Are Bound

Elliott

Ontheirwaytothe pizza shop, Jonah phoned in the order. When he hung up, he gave her a teasing look. “Should I have ordered you your own?”

“Funny,” she responded.

Once they arrived and parked on the strip of older local businesses, Jonah pointed to the patio tables. “Pick one and I’ll bring everything out.”

As it was still early afternoon on a weekday, there wasn’t a crowd. She selected a two-seater table by the railing and sat with her back to the sidewalk and street. Because of the midday sun, the establishment had extended the awning.

Jonah appeared through the glass front door with the pizza box, napkins, and managing two plastic cups of water. Elliott jumped up and assisted him in getting everything to the table. He sat and flipped open the box, the lid hitting the railing. “I figured we’d old school it and eat out of the box.”

“I can do that,” she assured him. The smell hit her; she was actually hungry. She grabbed a square, assuming his pause was for her to go first. She’d shoved it in her mouth by the time he looked up and picked up his own square.

“Good, huh?” he asked.

Elliott made a sound of agreement.

“I have a weakness for pizza,” Jonah admitted. “I could eat it for every meal. I’m still a college boy as far as my dining habits. You’ll have to check me on that.”

Elliott gave him an inquiring look and asked, “Me?”

He regarded her with warm amusement as he took a healthy bite. She continued to watch him in question as he swallowed. He finally answered, “Unless you want all future dates to end up in a pizzeria.”

“Oh.” She dropped her gaze to the square piece she was holding, and she gingerly picked off an olive before eating it.

“What does ‘oh’ mean?”

Elliott shook her head. “I don’t think it occurred to me that… well, it didn’t occur to me.”

“What? That we’re going to see each other again?” he asked. “Considering what happened on the thirteenth, I can’t imagine that you’re vague about my interest.”

Elliott snorted, saying mischievously, “That was quite an impressive display of interest.” She sobered somewhat. “But, taking into account what happened on the eighth…”

Jonah picked up another square. “That’s the second part of what I want.”

“What?” Another stomach flip and heart stutter. After what had happened, he’d probably realized they may as well just have sex. Obviously, they both wanted it. Why not get it over with so he can move on? The moment was bittersweet.

“Frank conversation; nothing’s off the table.”

Elliott stilled as she looked back at him, the tempo in her chest thumping along for a different reason entirely. She was already foreseeing the Uber ride back to her car. Well, this was par for the course, pardoning the pun; third dates were a rarity for her, and this time it had nothing to do with sex. It would be because of conversation.

For someone who controlled everything about herself, all the way down to the information people knew about her, the prospect of having to answer any random question was enough to send her back into a panic. Or into that Uber. She was mentally sorting through her life, her past, rewriting the script as best she could to make it palatable.

She was aware of his scrutiny in the silence that ensued. When she finally looked at him, trying to figure out his motivation, he reminded her, “You said anything I wanted.”

She answered honestly, her response coming out low and raspy, “I thought you’d want something else.”

“Oh, I do. You felt the proof of that. But like I said before, that would be easy, and I’ve demonstrated how easy. First, I want to know you.”

Really, just go for the sex.

Elliott picked at a slice of pepperoni. How else did she think something like this went? A real relationship?Normal. People talked to one another about more than ice cream flavors and school colors. Becks said this was something she could do if she wanted it badly enough, and she did. Popping the pepperoni into her mouth, she steeled herself and looked up at him, shrugging. “Okay, nothing’s off the table except…”

She saw the gentle rebuke in those startling eyes, and she sighed, tamping down her anxiety. “Nothing’s off the table. But it goes both ways.”

He nodded. “Absolutely. Give and take.”

She waved a hand in his direction. “You won, so you begin.”

---