“Me?”
“Yeah. Let’s talk about you.” He sipped his wine. I’d declined a glass and went with iced tea.
“Okay. What about me?”
“How many boyfriends have you had?”
“One.” Easy question.
“Really? I’m guessing that doesn’t include Colt.”
“Colt was never my boyfriend.”
“Okay. How many guys have you slept with?”
“Is this really an appropriate conversation?”
“Oh, that means it’s a high number.”
“Two.” As tempted as I was to say twenty just to see his face, I went with the real number.
“Colt and that boyfriend.” He took another sip. “Aren’t you going to ask me the same question?”
“No.” I had no desire to know about his past conquests. The number and names didn’t matter since I was almost 100% positive I was never sleeping with Tanner. There wasn’t enough between us.
“See, I knew you just wanted to talk about yourself.”
“No. I just don’t care about this conversation.”
He leaned back in his chair. “Man, you’re a hard girl to please.”
I ignored the comment and took another bite of my salad.
He smiled suddenly. “I’ve heard you were a little bit of a heart breaker last year.”
I dropped my fork onto my plate. A couple at the next table looked over. “That’s not true.”
“Yeah? Then what happened with Ryan?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you.”
“Come on.” He leaned across the table slightly. “No secrets.”
“You really want to know?”
“Yes. I definitely want to know.”
“We were going to hook up when he suddenly missed his ex and broke down crying.”
Tanner laughed. “For real? Ryan bawled on you before sex?”
“Pathetic, huh?”
“For him, yeah. Not for you.”
“I’d like to think I’m enough to distract a guy from his ex.”
He picked up my hand that was resting on the table. “Mallory, you could distract a man from just about anything.” There was something about the way he said it that made things far less awkward.
“Is that so?”
“Absolutely.” He moistened his lips, and I wondered if he was thinking about kissing me.
“Interesting.” I took a long sip of my tea.
We finished eating and set aside our silverware. If I’d been wearing a watch, I’d have been subtly looking at it. I was definitely ready to go.
“Would you like dessert?” he asked as soon as the waiter collected our plates.
“I’m all right, but feel free.”
“I might get coffee.”
“Oh. I could do that.” If I was going to have to wait for him anyway, I might as well get something.
“Are you sure that’s it? You don’t have a sweet tooth?”
“I do. But I’m full.”
“That salad filled you up that much?” He made a noise that might be considered a snort.
“Yes.”
“If you say so.” He ordered us both a coffee.
“Do you like arguing with me?” I shifted my legs under the table and inadvertently brushed mine against Tanner’s. He didn’t seem to mind.
“Yes. You get really animated when you’re annoyed.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do.” He grinned. “You’re doing it right now.”
The waiter came over with our coffees, and I added my sweetener and cream.
“Well, I don’t like arguing.”
“Yes, you do. What is it about you and denying things?” He sipped his coffee.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Your first instinct is to deny.” He set down his cup.
“No, it’s not.”
He laughed. “There it is. And when Colt outed your hook up, you immediately denied it.”
I blanched. “First Ryan, and now Colt? Are you purposely trying to sabotage this date?”
He leaned back in his chair. “No. Not at all. I’m just curious about what makes you tick.”
“I’m not that hard of a girl to understand.”
“No. You’re not. Except that you’re hiding something, or more than one thing.”
“What do you think I’m hiding?” I shifted in my chair nervously.
“I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Phew. At least I have time to distract you.” I threw him my most dazzling smile.
He laughed. “You’re something else, Mallory.”
“I know.”
“So what else should I know about you? You don’t seem to like my questions, so why not decide for yourself what I learn?”
“You want to know about me?”
“Yeah.” He pulled out his wallet when the waiter dropped off the bill. I didn’t bother offering to split it. I always let the guy pay. It fed their ego. Arguing just made it seem like you didn’t think they could afford you, or that you were a cheap date. You don’t want a guy thinking either.
“My middle name is Alice. My favorite color is blue. I love nice boys and fast cars.”
He laughed. “Is that so? What about fast boys and nice cars?”
“Fast boys? Shouldn’t you say bad boys?”
He shrugged. “Do you want me to say that?” He lowered his voice. “Do you want me to be a bad boy?”
“I already told you I like nice boys.”
“What does nice entail?”
“If you don’t know, then you’re not one.”
He laughed dryly. “I know.”
“Good. Then don’t waste your time asking.” I pushed back my chair.
I headed toward the front of the restaurant, and Tanner’s hand settled on the small of my back. He opened my car door for me, and waited until I was buckled before pulling away from the curb. Each time he did something gentleman-like, he glanced at me.
“Are you trying to make sure I noticed how nice you are?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re a goof ball.”
“Goof ball? That’s a new one. Usually girls call me something else.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah. Maybe later we’ll find out if you do too.”
“Later?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Later.”
He parked by his house. I assumed he planned on drinking since the party was still a few blocks away. I appreciated him thinking ahead, but I wasn’t exactly looking forward to walking home in heels.