Page 39 of Mr. Flirt

Lucy’s arms fell to her sides, and she leaned against the kitchen counter. “My focus in life is my career. Before that, it was my education, and prior to that period, it was helping my mom raise Mae.”

I nodded slowly, waiting for theit’s not you, it’s mespiel where I leave with my tail between my legs.

“I’ve liked having those things to focus on that didn’t require any effort toward something that could fail. I knew I’d do a good job with Mae. I knew law school would be no big deal for me. I understood that I’d be a great attorney. But I know in my heart that what I’ve learned about life because of my experience is that dating might not go so well.”

I took in a deep breath.

“And then I met you.” She laughed. “At a dating event where you were pulling a practical joke.”

Lucy’s eyes drilled into me.

“Yeah. Sorry about that,” I mumbled.

“Yet, here we are. Against my better judgment and every red flag waving vehemently in front of me, you’re about to cook me a fabulous dinner and make mad, passionate love to me the rest of the night.”

“Come again?”

She laughed. “I hope so.”

“I find it hard to believe you don’t date much.” My eyes focused on hers as her lips quirked into a playful grin. “Those lines just roll right off your lips.”

Lucy pushed herself from the counter and started toward me. “So, how about it?”

“Dinner?”

She stood in front of me and laughed. “Yeah, dinner.”

“I’ll get right on it.”

But I didn’t move.

Lucy wrapped her arms around my waist and looked into my eyes.

“You say you are terrible at dating,” I nearly whispered. The sound of my voice was gravelly with need.

Lucy nodded and looked up into my eyes. “Yeah.”

“Then how about we spend our time undating?”

She chuckled and tightened her arms around my waist. “What does that even mean?”

“Whatever we want it to mean. We hang out without any expectations. Maybe we travel a little bit? We enjoy one another’s company without worrying about failure.”

Lucy kept her eyes on mine while silence sat between us.

“You’ve already said I’m not your type, and there are a ton of red flags, especially considering how we first met. Essentially, I’m your Mr. Wrong.”

“I suppose.”

“So, let’s take a hint from my sister and her friends. Try me out, and maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

“What’s the return policy?” she teased, her eyes softening with each passing second.

“When and if you decide to return me, no hearts will be broken.” I nodded, knowing I was lying through my teeth. If Lucy dumped me, I’d be broken.

She bit her bottom lip for a second before taking a deep breath and giving a quick nod.

“Deal.”

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