Page 91 of This Heart Of Mine (Chicago Stars 5)

’t even blame him for letting things get out of hand because she was the one who’d started it.

“Stop it, Roo.” Shaken, she pulled the dog away.

“Don’t you ever trim the Klingon’s toenails?”

“He wasn’t attacking you. He just wanted to play.”

“Yeah? Well, so did I!”

A long silence quivered between them.

She wanted him to be the first to look away, but he didn’t, so she looked right back. It was unnerving. While she felt like hiding under the bed, he seemed perfectly willing to stand there all evening and think things over. The breast he’d touched still felt warm.

“This is getting complicated,” he finally said.

She was messing with the NFL, so she ignored her rubbery legs. “Not for me. You’re an okay kisser, by the way. So many athletes gnaw.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled. “You just keep fighting, Daphne. Now, are we going to get dinner, or should we get back to work on that hickey you want so bad?”

“Forget the hickey. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.”

“And sometimes bunny ladies turn into chickens.”

She wasn’t going to win this game, so she stuck her nose in the air like the rich heiress she wasn’t, then grabbed the red tablecloth and swirled it around her shoulders.

The North Woods décor made the dining room of the Wind Lake Inn feel like an old hunting lodge. Indian-blanket-print curtains hung at the long, narrow windows, and the rustic walls displayed a collection of snowshoes and antique animal traps, along with the mounted heads of deer and elk. Molly focused on the birchbark canoe hanging from the rafters instead of those staring glass eyes.

Kevin was getting good at reading her mind, and he nodded toward the dead animals. “There used to be this restaurant in New York that specialized in exotic game—kangaroo, tiger, elephant steaks. One time some friends took me there for lionburgers.”

“That’s revolting! What kind of sick person would eat Simba?”

He chuckled and returned to his trout. “Not me. I had hash browns and pecan pie instead.”

“You’re messing with me. Stop it.”

His eyes took a few lazy tango steps over her body. “You didn’t mind earlier.”

She toyed with the stem of her wineglass. “It was the alcohol.”

“It was the sex we’re not having.”

She opened her mouth to cut him off at the knees, but he cut her off first. “Save your breath, Daph. It’s time you faced a few important facts. Number one, we’re married. Number two, we’re living under the same roof—”

“Not by my choice.”

“And number three, we’re both celibate at the moment.”

“You can’t be celibate for a moment. It’s a long-term lifestyle. Believe me, I know.” She hadn’t meant to say the last part out loud. Or maybe she had. She speared a carrot coin she didn’t want to eat.

He set down his fork to study her more closely. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”

“Of course I’m kidding.” She gobbled up the carrot. “Did you think I was serious?”

He rubbed his chin. “You aren’t kidding.”

“Do you see the waiter? I think I’m ready for dessert.”

“Care to elaborate?”

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