Page 21 of Never Say Never

I shoved my hands into my pockets as I picked up the pace. Whatever expression I wore at least helped because people moved left and right to get out of my way. Thank God.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I glanced down at it and saw Paul calling. My stomach tightened. I quickly shoved the phone away and picked up speed. Either I could grab a taxi or I could walk back to my place. I decided to walk. It would give me time to cool down and sort through my thoughts.

Why did I even agree to dinner? I just wanted to feel good for another night. This was idiotic, York.

My phone started buzzing again, but I ignored it this time. If it was the nanny, her call would ring. It was the only one that did. Otherwise, it wasn't important.

Paul wasn't important.

I laughed at myself a little. Was I seriously like the others he'd taken to bed? Seriously? I had been ditched by a man who I hadn't even gone past third base with. It was annoying. So why did it bother me so much?

"York! Hey, York!"

I jolted as I heard his voice. My footsteps faltered for a moment before I told myself to keep going.

"Come on, don't be like that! York!"

I paused and turned so abruptly that his chest smashed into mine. We grunted, and I took a step back while I reached out to steady him. He groaned, rubbing at his chest as he winced at me.

"Jesus, you are one sturdy man."

"What do you want, Paul?" I asked, an exasperated sigh leaving my lips.

"Where the hell did you go?" he asked.

I glanced around us. "What do you mean? Clearly, I'm going home. You seemed preoccupied."

Paul's eyebrow shot up. "I had to take a stupid call from my sister," he said. "What? Did you think I ditched you?"

I stiffened. Yes, that was exactly what I'd feared. I had tried to swallow it, to tell myself not to do something neurotic and simply wait, but my mind was a dangerous place when I was left alone. Besides, waiting around for someone who I just wanted to hop into bed with felt somewhat pathetic.

"I didn't ditch you!" Paul said. "Come on, why would I do that? I've been trying to get you into bed for years. Why would I mess up now, huh?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. That shouldn't make me feel anything, but it did. The man was a moron, but he was also fun. Exciting. New. So far, I liked that feeling.

"Listen—" I started.

Paul shoved a finger against my lips. "Shhh. Burgers, fries, good stuff. We'll pretend it didn't happen."

I stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. Slowly, I plucked his finger from my lips. Paul looked at me, grinning. It was as if he knew he'd already won. Groaning, I started to turn to walk away, but he bounced right back into my path.

"Hey, if we're out here for too long, someone might see us from work," he pointed out. "Are you sure you want to just be roaming the streets of New York like this?"

I stiffened. Damn it. Paul knew just what to say to make me rethink. I glanced around as if I'd run into one of the people on my team. Instead, there was nothing but a sea of unfamiliar faces. When I looked back at Paul, his knowing grin had grown.

Paul grabbed my hand, and I stared at our interlocked fingers as he drug me to the parking garage that we'd used earlier. As soon as we reached the car, I went for the passenger door, but my hand slipped from the handle. Paul turned me around, and I stared as he shoved me against the car and pressed up against me.

"Why did you want to see me so badly today, anyway?" he asked. "Did you miss me?"

"I thought we could fool around again," I said truthfully, my neck burning as the words left my lips. "We had a sufficiently decent time. I figured, why not try it again?"

"The same or do you want something more?" Paul asked.

I shifted, trying to relieve the building tension in the pit of my stomach. Paul noticed it, his eyes darkened, and his hand slipped into the front of my pants. I sucked in a breath as his fingers brushed over my pubes. He petted them as he leaned closer to me.

"Let's skip dinner then," he suggested. "My place?"

"I don't know about that," I said.