Page 6 of Maybe You
“You never did tell me your name.”
“No.”
The short answer doesn’t deter him at all.
“In a relationship?” he asks instead, seemingly out of the blue.
I blink before I shake my head.
“Recently dumped?”
Another shake of my head.
“Unrequited love?”
I narrow my eyes at him. What kinds of questions are those?
“What?” I eventually ask.
“Are you pining away for the unattainable? Waiting for somebody to see the error of their ways and realize you’re the only one for them?”
“No?” I say slowly.
“Excellent news.”
“Is it?”
“Makes hitting on you that much easier.”
I eye him some more. Let the words settle in my mind and their meaning become clear. He’s hitting on me. This dude who looks like he should have people writing sonnets about him is lounging against a wall opposite me in the middle of the night at the pool where I work, hitting on me, and all the while looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world. And that is all happening despite the fact that—and I cannot stress this enough—he’s breaking into this place.
“Is that what you’re doing?” I ask once I’ve collected myself a bit.
The amused smile stays firmly in place. Not mocking. Interested. “Was that not clear?”
“Just checking,” I say.
“In that case, yes. I’m definitely hitting on you. Unless you have objections to that?”
His easy grin takes on a new dimension. A devilish edge. It looks suspiciously natural on him. Here’s somebody who’s used to getting what he wants. I’ve met these kinds of people before. It never ends well.
“Not sure yet,” I say belatedly. “But go ahead. Show me your moves.”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” He waggles his brows.
“That’s it?” I say. “That’s your move? Somebody’s confident.”
“The first of many. It’s a whole production once I get going, so I need to gauge interest before I start to see if it’s worth the time commitment.”
“That’s a hell of a way to create expectations. I can’t wait to see all those moves you’ve got now.”
The devilish edge gets sharper. “What’s your name?”
I quirk my brow at him. “Is that one of your moves? It’s kind of unimpressive.”
“I suppose I can keep calling you the hot, broody guy, but it’s a mouthful, and I’d really prefer to find a better use for my mouth tonight.”
I nod. Well, it’s something, I guess. “Marginally better.”