| "This isn't working."
There they were. To Gabrielle Pearson the phrase stood second
only to "it's not you, it's me" as the most lame male
excuse on the planet for cutting out of a date before the dessert
menus hit the table.
Gabby glanced around the upscale restaurant looking for reinforcements.
If anyone heard Reed Larkin's big kiss off over the rumble of conversation
and clanking of silverware, they were not letting on. No one held
up a roll ready to lob it at Reed's fat head. A shame, really, since
his over-inflated ego made it the perfect target.
"Gabby? Did you hear me?" Reed asked with his suddenly
not-so-kissable mouth turned down in concern.
"I'm not deaf. I was thinking." Thinking that a woman
never had a vial of strychnine when she needed one.
He frowned. "I was-"
"It's interesting, don't you agree?"
He switched to squinting. "You lost me.
"Obviously."
She lowered her fork to the white tablecloth, but not before toying
with the idea of stabbing Reed smack in the center of his perfectly
angled chin. One hit of the sharp prongs and no woman would ever
be lured in by his inviting sexy smile again.
"I'm talking about your timing, Reed. You waited until you
were done with your meal to make this announcement. You skipped
the appetizer course and choked back your undercooked steak without
taking a breath." Now she knew why.
Reed was a man on the run.
The big weasel.
Here she thought tonight, formal date number nine, might be the
date. The one to capture all the heat pulsing between them with
a bedroom ending. Hell, she'd be lucky to get cab fare out of him
now.
Reed took a long swallow of water.
When he didn't choke, Gabby cursed life's unfairness. "I'm
assuming I'm the part of the relationship that's not working."
"Look, it's not you. It's-"
Oh, no, no, no. "Don't finish that sentence."
If he continued down that road the half of the salmon filet she
did manage to swallow would make a repeat performance all over his
expensive navy suit. Tempting but not going to happen.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked as if he actually
did not know.
"Just don't." She pointed a finger in the general direction
of Reed's heart to back up her threat.
Those ice blue eyes that were so attractive up until five minutes
ago blinked several times. "Gabby, we should-"
"Stop talking before someone loses a body part." Her
gaze dropped to her fork. "Preferably you."
The sexy sparkle behind his eyes faded as the grin on his full
mouth fell flat. For the first time since they sat down to eat,
Reed's usual assurance slipped. Nice of him to show some reaction.
She learned long ago to control her emotions. To keep her reactions
neutral and her anger at bay. No matter how fast that ball of anxiety
started to spin around in her gut she held it all in. Forced her
outside to defy her insides.
She had been through far worse than a broken relationship, weathered
much and never broke. But something about the silliness of the scene,
of Reed cutting her off at the same time she mentally planned his
seduction, broke open the dam inside her and sent anger spewing
in every direction.
Her chest clenched as her cheeks grew hot. Her jaw pulled tight
enough to make her back teeth ache.
Pissed. She was down-to-her-bones pissed. A new sensation and
one she chalked up to a build-up of stress without any release.
One that refused to go away quietly.
If Reed intended to hand her a relationship pink slip, then she
planned to give him an ending to remember. "Tell me something."
He smiled at the older couple sitting at the table next to them.
"Sure."
"Where did it go wrong for you?"
Their relationship didn’t take any wrong turns for her.
They cruised along just fine with her getting more interested and
attracted every single day. Then the waiter put the entrees on the
table and everything went to hell.
"The 'it' is...?" he asked.
"For a smart guy, you seem to be experiencing some trouble
with small words."
He stopped glancing around the restaurant and focused on her instead.
"Talk slow and I'll try to keep up."
"Fine." Actually, the scene was anything but fine, but
she clearly did not get a vote. "Us. You and me. The relationship.
Since we never even had sex, I mean."
He clamped his lips together. "Is this really
necessary?"
Definitely. "Maybe there's something you forgot to tell
me? You know, about your preferences and such."
Color rushed back into his cheeks. "Wait a damn second."
"We've gone out. Had a good time. It's called dating, in
case you didn’t know." This anger thing felt good. Freeing.
Rather than fight it, Gabby let it flood through her veins.
"Well..."
"The next step between normal, healthy adults would have
been sex." The step she'd been imagining ever since he walked
into her favorite morning coffee shop about a month before, forgot
his wallet and borrowed money and a seat at her table.
As if she needed another reason to give up caffeine.
"So?" She balanced both elbows on the table, blocking
out the low rumble of conversation from the other diners. Dropping
her voice down to a conspiratorial whisper, she asked, "What
was it?"
Reed tugged on his ear in the nervous gesture she might have found
endearing on another night, in another situation. Not on this one.
She leaned in until only her fury separated them. "Not the
kissing, because that was good."
Okay, the lip action had been great. Score one for the tech nerd
with the linebacker shoulders, pouty mouth and irresistible crooked
smile.
She kept all the positives to herself. Now was not the time for
an ego stroke. In fact, she did not plan on stroking any part of
Reed Larkin ever again.
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