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“That’s not what I was questioning.”
“Then what?”
He chuckles, that low rumble that reverberates through his chest. “I shouldn’t say what I’m thinking.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re a tease, you know that?”
“I’m the tease?” His eyebrows shoot upward.
“Yes. You tease me with little things like that, then say it’s unprofessional or inappropriate. You know what you’re doing.”
“And you don’t?” I question him and he turns his eyes from mine down to his feet.
“I was going to say that I’m no different.”
“Meaning you’re a one-night-stand type of guy?”
“No, meaning that I confessed to you that if you hadn’t written your name with your number that night, I’d have taken you back to my place and we weren’t even on a date. So being that he took you on a date and knew your name before offering to take you home, he’s a better man than me.”
My stomach drops. “Guess it’s good that I gave you my name then, so we avoided a regretful situation.”
“So are you going to continue the online dating exploits?”
I shrug. “Honestly, I don’t know. I was telling my friends that I just wish I could meet someone organically. I like building a friendship first. I’m not typically a go in search of someone to date type of person. I prefer when things just happen naturally.”
“I understand that. I’d say most of us feel that way, but then again, online dating has been so popular.”
“Have you ever done it?” He looks over at me and smiles. “Sorry, stupid question. I’m sure you don’t have to ever go searching for a date.”
“That’s not why I smiled.” He shakes his head. “I’m just not really the looking for marriage type and I guess I assumed that’s what dating apps were for.”
“Seems like it’s the exact opposite actually, so you might like it,” I tease him.
We walk for a bit longer and we’re nearing my street when he offers to walk me home.
“You know, this is starting to become a pattern,” I say as we walk up to my building.
“I guess it is.” He smiles again. I’ve noticed when we’re in these types of situations, he tends not to elaborate too much on little innuendos I say.
“You’re the only man who has consistently walked me home, yet never made it inside the lobby.”
I place my key fob near the sensor, and it clicks. Beckham reaches around me, his hand on the door as he opens it. He places his hand in the middle of my back, pressing me forward and stepping inside with me. I turn around to face him.
“There, now I have.”
We’re standing so close, only a few inches between our bodies as I look up at him. The lobby is empty.
“Better be careful, Mr. Archer,” I tease. “Wouldn’t want you breaking your rule.”
He arches a brow at me. “My rule?”
“Mm-hmm. About boundaries.”
He chuckles again, stepping a bit closer. “Didn’t realize I was crossing any boundaries or breaking any rules being inside your building.” He reaches his hand up and brushes a few strands of hair away from my face. “Does it make you want to break the rules, Brontë?”
I hear myself inhale a sharp breath as his fingertips brush against my cheeks so lightly. I want to play it off, tell him that he wishes and casually walk away like he has no effect on me, but I can’t move. His eyes search mine and I want to reach up on my tiptoes to kiss him, but I tell myself no. He made it clear he doesn’t want me to instigate things so if he is going to break his rules and cross boundaries he’s put in place, I won’t be the one to make the first move… Yet I can’t help but tease him back a little bit.
“Seems like it makes you want to more than me, but then again, I’d hate to cause you regret.”
