Page 33 of Forever Mine

I lowered my chin and gave him a look I used on Angel when she was playing the fool.

He had the grace to laugh. “Okay, I’ll get to it.”

When I continued looking at him as if I didn’t believe a word, he added, “First thing in the morning.”

“You promised to do something about it on Sunday over lunch.”

“Yeah, well, work and all that.”

I dipped my chin again, and he laughed.

“All right, I promise.” He held up three fingers with his thumb and pinkie folded. “Scout’s honor.”

“If you say so.”

We exchanged a stare, and Scott shook his head as if to clear his thoughts.

“Are you all right?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m good.” His smile spread as he stroked the hair on his face. “You’re something special, you know that?”

With a cheeky grin, I quipped, “So you’ve told me before.”

When he continued staring at me, I cleared my throat. I wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but I wasn’t ready for the kind of intensity I saw in his eyes.

As though he felt my discomfort, Scott touched my cheek with his thumb. “Don’t worry. I don’t plan to take things there. We agreed.”

I tilted my head and looked away from him, amazed he understood exactly what was going on in my head.

His hand now cupped my cheek, while he stroked my skin with his thumb. “You ready?”

Even if I wasn’t, the thick air between us made me want to take a step back. Get away from the charged atmosphere. My answer was soft. “Yeah.”

I didn’t care about the people around us, what bothered me was the connection I felt to this man who wasn’t supposed to be more than someone to pass time with, for now.

We finished our drinks and Scott got the attention of our waitress and asked for the chit. A few minutes went by before she returned. Scott got out his wallet and fumbled through the bills.

My gaze flicked to the waitress and back to him. “If you don’t have change, I can … ”

His cool shake of the head quelled my enthusiasm to help.

The moment Denise moved away, Scott laid both elbows on the table and leaned in close. “What kind of man d’you think I am?”

“The kind who accepts help when it’s clear he doesn’t know the currency he’s working with.” I lowered my voice to take the sting out of my words. “It’s easy to give away a five thousand dollar bill if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

He quirked one brow. “Oh, yeah?”

Nodding, I said, “It’s similar to the five hundred dollar note, so you better watch how you flash them around.”

“Thanks very much, but you’re still not helping by giving me money.” His tone conveyed finality. “No way.”

Giving him a side-eye, I said, “I heard you the first time.”

Denise came back and while Scott accepted his change and gave her a tip, I got my phone out and sent a text to Mom. My answer came within seconds. Angel had just gone to sleep.

Scott’s eyes were focused on me, his gaze warm. Something told me I was looking at him the same way. I cleared my throat and looked away from him. “Ready when you are.”

“Who were you texting?” he asked.