Page 8 of Shameless With Him

Chapter 2

Caleb

I slidmy hand across the small table and squeezed Robin’s fingers, grinning at her.

“You are a very wicked man, Caleb,” Robin purred before taking her hand back. She picked up her glass of merlot and took a sip.

I leaned back in my chair and shook my head. “There’s nothing wicked about me, Robin. Never has been.” Okay, that was probably a lie, but that was fine with me. I liked Robin. She was sweet, had a brilliant head on her shoulders, and a killer body.

Her long, black hair flowed down her back, and she had recently cut her bangs so they lay thick across her eyebrow line. I had only really noticed because she’d mentioned it to me when I saw her last at the bar that I went to regularly.

Not that I indulged all the time, but after a long day, especially when life went to hell like it seemed to be doing a lot these days, I needed a drink. Or at least needed to be near the noise of other people.

Then I would go home and laugh at my solitude, something I was getting much better at in my old age.

“Now you’re not paying attention to me,” Robin said, tapping her fingernail on her glass. I didn’t understand how she kept such great nails, considering that she typed for most of the day. She was a computer programmer—one of the best, according to her and anyone in the field who had ever spoken about her.

I was decent with computers, but nowhere near her level. So, if I ever needed to hack something or troubleshoot an issue with my laptop, she was the person to call. She’d charge an arm and a leg, but she was apparently worth that and more.

“Sorry. Woolgathering.”

“That’s fine. Are you going to tell me what you’re thinking about?”

“That brain of yours,” I said honestly.

Her eyes brightened. “That’s better than talking about any other part of my anatomy, as most guys tend to do.”

I snorted and took a sip of my vodka and water. I wasn’t going to finish it, but it was good for appearances. I was mostly on the water these days.

“You have other assets, as well,” I said, grinning. “Ones I’m open to talking about if you’re in the mood.” A total line, but it was rote at this point. When had I become jaded?

“Yes, and I tend to like those assets.” Her gaze traveled down to her very impressive cleavage, and then she laughed, making her boobs jiggle just enough. Dear God, I was going to lose my mind. But she knew that, and she was good at exploiting it. I liked a woman who was confident with her mind and body and knew exactly who she was.

I used to be that same type of person. Confident, happy, and knew what I was doing. These days? Not so much. But I didn’t want to get into that. I didn’t want to get serious or think about anything but what we were up to for the night.

Because this wasn’t going to be serious. Nothing I ever did was serious. And every date that I had knew that going in. Not that I was an asshole or scared of commitment or anything, but I had plans. And before I moved back to Denver, those plans hadn’t included women other than for the short-term. For the long-term? Not so much.

Dating when I was in Alaska had been interesting, and I hadn’t done it all that often considering the ratio of men to women where I had been living.

Dating in Denver? Well, I was at the age where everyone wanted to settle down, and I didn’t know what I wanted yet. Not with everything that had happened recently. But, no, I wasn’t going to think about that. Not now, at least.

“Anyway, how are you liking your new job outside of the wilderness?” Robin asked as the waiter set down our meals. I had ordered the fish, and she got the steak. My mouth salivated for the filet, but I was being good. Less red meat, and less alcohol, even though I was sipping a little vodka tonight.

“Denver is its own wilderness, even though it’s a little different from Alaska.”

“It’s so funny that most people think that Denver, like Texas, must be filled with cowboys and is the Wild Wild West. And then, us Denverites, or Denveronians, whatever they call us, all think that Alaska must be much of the same.”

“What do they call people from Denver?

“Happy?” Robin asked and then laughed.

“That fish looks amazing.”

I shrugged and looked down at my plate. “Want a bite?”

“I would love some. Would you like some steak?”

“I should say no, but I’d love a bite.”