“I am. Beneath all the girl-power energy, you’ve got a little old-fashioned about you. I would have thought you’d have come close to the altar a couple times.”
Heather snorted.
“Come on,” he pressed. “You’re telling me you’ve never lost your cranky little heart to a guy?”
“No,” she said slowly. “I don’t know that that’s for me.”
“Well, would you look at that,” he said with a little grin. “We have something in common.”
“What, the dedicated bachelor has never been in love? I’m shocked. Shocked I say!”
“Hey, I never said I’ve never been in love,” he corrected, “just that I don’t have plans to be in the future.”
“Really? When?” she asked, curious as to what sort of girl could hold the attention of a committed bachelor.
“Second grade. Her name was Robin, and she let me play her Game Boy at recess.”
“However did you let her slip away from you?”
“I’m ashamed to say my eye was caught by another lady. Her name was Anna and she had a better game selection on her Game Boy.”
“A player even then, huh?”
“Then and always,” he said.
His voice was still teasing, but there was a slight intensity to his tone now, as though he were trying to tell her something.
Heather glanced up and locked gazes with him. “Josh Tanner, are you trying to warn me off right now? Give me fair warning not to fall in love with you because you’ll never fall back?”
He laughed. “That obvious, huh?”
“Definitely,” she said, shoving his legs out of her way so she could pull a spoon out of the drawer and taste her coffee cake batter.
“And in case it wasn’t clear, I’m confident my poor little heart is withstanding all of your charm just fine.”
“Glad to hear it, 4C. Because despite all your sass, you are a relationship kind of girl, and I’m not a relationship kind of guy.”
“Some girl will change that,” Heather said, digging her tasting spoon into the bowl.
Josh’s fingers wrapped around her wrist, and she glanced up, startled by the firmness of his grip. “No,” he said quietly. “That won’t change.”
“All right,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Take it easy, no one’s trying to march you toward the altar.”
He smiled, but it seemed forced, and she was struck by a little stab of sadness at how resolute he was. Instinct told her this was more than just manwhore avoidance of commitment. Josh was deliberately holding himself back from the possibility of a relationship for something that went beyond a love of playing the field.
“I’m going to ask you something,” he said, his thumb brushing the inside of her wrist, his voice low and dangerous.
Heather swallowed. “What?”
His gaze dropped to her mouth. “Why’d you kiss Trevor?”
She gave a nervous laugh and tried to pull her hand free, but he held tight. “Because he’s hot.”
Josh’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, I hardly think a heterosexual male is the best one to judge another guy’s hotness,” she countered.
Josh’s gaze dropped to the spoon in her hand, and he pulled it toward his mouth, sliding it in between his lips in a gesture that was far sexier than it had a right to be.
“Delicious,” he said as he licked the spoon clean, holding her gaze.
“Quit flirting,” she said, trying to pull her hand back. “You just got done telling me how falling in love with you would be the end of life as I know it.”
“Oh, I don’t want you to love me, 4C. Doesn’t mean I don’t want you to want me.”
“I’ll try to control myself,” she said, dropping the dirty spoon into the sink and shoving his legs out of the way once more to get a clean one.
He caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger, nudging her face up toward his. “I’ll ask one more time. Why’d you kiss Trevor?”
“Why so curious?” she said, her voice coming out a little more breathy than she’d intended.
“Not curious,” he said, his gaze locked on her mouth. “Jealous. Irrationally, crazy-out-of-my-mind jealous, 4C.”