Chapter 23
twenty-three
swearing at a copier
A jolt of desire shot through her as soon as her fingers touched his, creating an ache deep in her core. An ache she’d never felt before, an ache she knew in her heart could only be soothed by one person.
They placed their order and returned to the table with a beer for him, a limonada for her, and a number on a stick. Ryan stuck the number into the condiment tray as he sat next to her. Elissa’s skin prickled as his arm grazed hers.
“How was your day?” he asked.
She surprised herself with disappointment at his nice, normal question. Their last conversations had been so much more interesting, even when they’d been discussing the stupid files. This one was so…prosaic.
As she opened her mouth to respond politely with an equally boring answer, he spoke up.
“That was weak sauce. I don’t care how your day was. What I meant to ask was, did you miss me?”
He gave her his thousand-watt smile, which she couldn’t help returning.
“You’re supposed to care how my day was,” she shot back, needling him.
“Why? You’ll just say ‘fine.’ We don’t know each other well enough for you to tell me about the client who made you want to tear your hair out, or how you swore at the copier when you had to change the toner, or?—”
Elissa laughed, full-throated and genuine. The only other person who could make her laugh like that was Jules. She took it as a promising sign, another thing to like about him.
“So, did you miss me?” Ryan asked again.
She tried so hard to give him a stern look, matching her mother’s expression when she’d caught one of them, usually not her, misbehaving. She failed. Instead, Elissa pressed her lips together and shook her head.
“I don’t believe you,” he said. “I’m utterly missable.”
Becca brought over their hot dogs, interrupting her train of thought.
“Here you go. Enjoy.”
Elissa would later swear the woman winked, even odds if it was at her or Ryan.
“Dig in.” He lifted the bacon-wrapped hot dog loaded with beans, tomatoes, onions, and all sorts of condiments and took a huge bite.
While he kept his smoldering eyes on her lips, Elissa followed suit. Half the toppings slipped out onto the plate, but wow, it was so yummy. The pinto beans were well seasoned, the right amount of mayo, and the pico de gallo—oh, that was some of the best she’d ever had.
He washed down his mouthful with some beer. “Good, huh?”
“You promised me the best Sonoran dog in Tucson. I have to say, you’re a man of your word.”
“See? I’m not a jerk, usually. Just that one time.”
Elissa snorted in derision. He probably had been a jerk many times in his life, but a few moments of jerkiness did not mean he was fundamentally a jerk.
“Okay, more than once. But I swear, I normally don’t insult beautiful, intelligent women by suggesting their only duty is to act as arm candy for privileged assholes.”
“Fine. I will no longer refer to you as Jerk-Ryan. Especially since the other Ryan I was supposed to meet turned out to be one giant beige flag.”
“Why, thank you, Your Majesty.”
She huffed out an exaggerated, exasperated sigh, but softened it with a curl of her lips. “Would you believe I didn’t have time to miss anybody this week? Not even someone as missable as you.”
His smiled widened when she called him missable, but didn’t tease her about it.
“Tax season that bad already?”
“No, but my parents are out of town, so I’m staying with my younger brother.”
“How much younger?”
“He’s seventeen, a junior in high school.”
“Ah. No one ever trusted me enough to be responsible for a younger family member.”
Deadpan, she said, “Gee, I don’t know why.”
He nudged her shoulder with his own while laughing. Heat coiled through her from the point of contact. He might as well have slid his hand under her shirt, with the way her body reacted, like there weren’t two layers of fabric between them.
Elissa snuck a glance in his direction, wondering if he felt even a part of what she did.
Ryan held himself stock-still, a look of shock on his face, but only for an instant.
He forced himself to relax. She could see it in the slow easing of tension in his shoulders and in the return of the smile that did weird things to her insides.
Before he noticed her watching, she refocused her attention to her drink, swirling the straw around the ice.
“I don’t swear.” She tried easing him back into the conversation. Elissa wasn’t sure what to do with the knowledge that he felt the same spark, so she changed the subject to something safe.
He cleared his throat, but his voice was the low rumble of his greeting. “What?”
“Earlier, you said I might’ve spent my day swearing at the copier. I don’t swear. At least, not usually.”
He cleared his throat again and took a sip of his beer.
“Ah, a goody two-shoes.” His voice returned to its clear tenor. She didn’t know which she liked more. This voice was musical, one she would never tire of hearing. But when he rumbled, ooh, it was liquid warmth stroking her core.
“No. Well, yeah. Mostly. I was the oldest, my baby brother was sick, and my younger sister was—is—entropy incarnate. I tried not to be a problem. When Ami entered her cursing like a sailor phase in middle school, my mom instituted a swear jar, and I internalized it. Besides, we use the money for a family fun night, you know, go to the movies or bowling. Things have to be going to heck in a handbasket for me to use anything above a PG rating.”
“Sounds like a challenge.” Impish delight sparked in his warm brown eyes.
“NO!” she said with a bark of laughter. “It wasn’t a challenge. I was just…sharing something personal. It’s your turn.”
“I’ll take it under advisement.” He grinned, and she knew he wasn’t going to let it go. Ryan would push her boundaries. Let him try. Her sister had been pushing since the day she was born. “I, on the other hand, spent a good part of my afternoon swearing at a copier.”
“That wasn’t personal.”
“It got pretty personal with the copier. I mean, I called its mother a bitch, then accused it of fucking her.”
The sip of limonada she’d taken almost came out her nose.
Instead, she went into a coughing fit. Ryan placed a hand on her back and patted gently.
Warmth radiated from his touch, and heat rose in her cheeks as tears leaked from her eyes.
Once she got her breathing under control, she took another sip.
“I’m sorry, Elissa. I didn’t mean—” His face was pale with shock, all traces of humor gone.
“No, no, it was funny, but I need to clean up. I’ll be right back.” She gave him her best smile as she hopped down from the barstool and went to the ladies’ room.
Looking in the mirror, Elissa was surprised the worst effect of the incident was smeared mascara. She took a paper towel and dabbed at her eyes, wiping away the mess, and gave herself a stern glare.
What the hell are you doing?
Her reflection had no defense. Elissa had expected she’d meet some nice guy who wouldn’t sweep her off her feet but would be patient enough to develop a deep and abiding relationship.
She wasn’t a woman who got swept off her feet.
She’d made sure she was sensible enough to not expect sweeping. And yet…
Not only was he sexy as hell, but he was smart, with humor lacing even his sharpest comment. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, even when she’d believed he was an entitled jerk. And he was, sometimes. Everyone had bad days, but she hadn’t seen a whiff of that guy since the first time they met.
“Oh, fudge nuts.”
She was falling for him. Elissa wasn’t a risk-taker.
It was what made her a skilled accountant.
She conserved resources and was careful about who she let in her life.
Ryan threw her for a loop. Every cell in her body yearned for him, even those brain cells she was so proud of.
But a small voice in the far corners of her mind screamed caution.
She couldn’t predict what would happen, and it would end her if her heart broke.
Elissa was getting ahead of herself. It was just hot dogs. She straightened her shirt, washed her hands, and returned to the table.