Page 13 of The Sweetest Mistake
“So, tell me a few things I don’t know about Julia Lee,” he said in between bites of the oversized Bavarian pretzel they were sharing.
“I’m an only child,” she blurted out as she dunked a hunk of pretzel in the gooey cheese sauce. “And I really want kids someday—like three or four. Oh, and a dog, because I don’t like cats.”
His hand froze over the cheese sauce. “Okay, then. That’s…”
“Crazy? At least that’s what Alec said.”
“Who’s Alec?”
“My ex. We talked about getting married, but then he casually mentioned that he didn’t want kids—ever.”
“Ouch.”
“Yeah. So, that was a deal-breaker for me. What about you?”
He was cutting into a loaded potato skin and didn’t look up. “Three or four kids sounds like a lot, but I suppose it’s doable.”
Julia stared at him, her mouth agape. “That’s not what I was asking!”
“Oh. Sorry. I must have lost the thread of the conversation,” he teased.
“I was turning the question around on you. What can you tell me about Connor O’Brien that I don’t already know?”
“That depends. What do you think you know about me?”
“I know that you’re the middle of three brothers and that you’re the bad boy of the bunch.”
He set down his fork and looked directly at her. “Did somebody tell you that, or is that your opinion?”
Julia shrugged. “A little bit of both, I guess. I’ve overheard a few comments from Finn, and I’ve also seen you in action.”
Leaning closer, he whispered, “You haven’t seen anything—yet.”
His thigh brushed against hers underneath the bar, but he didn’t move away, and neither did she. The thought of that pleased him to no end. Maybe he was finally getting to this girl. This girl who drove him crazy with desire and something else too. She might act all tough, but he saw glimpses of her vulnerability too, and it made him want to protect her. To hold her, kiss her, possess her, and take care of her all at the same time.
“Hmmm,” she said while spearing a mozzarella stick.
“Hmmm, what?”
“Just wondering if you’re all talk and no action.”
And now it sounded like she was goading him! “When you’re ready to find out, you just let me know.”
“Can I get you two anything else?” the bartender asked, startling them. They’d been gazing into each other’s eyes and hadn’t heard him approach.
“Julia? Another drink?” Connor asked.
“No!” she practically shouted. And then, lowering her voice, she said, “No thank you.”
They reached for the bill at the same time, their hands touching briefly as he swooped it out from under her.
“I got it,” he said, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she said, reaching into her purse. “This wasn’t a date, and in modern times, women split the bill.”
“There’s something to be said about the old days,” he muttered. Slapping down some money on the bar, he grabbed her arm and practically pulled her off the stool. “Thanks, Ed,” he called over his shoulder to the bartender, and then keeping his hand clamped around her arm, he led her out of the restaurant.
He hadn’t meant to manhandle her that way, but she didn’t pull out of his grip, so maybe she hadn’t minded. God, this woman was confusing, shooting him down one minute and then heating under his gaze the next. She was a puzzle he definitely wanted to solve.
