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“Let’s hear them.”
He shrugged and scratched the back of his neck. “I dunno. It’s weird saying them without context.”
“A good line,” I contended, “would work regardless of context.”
He considered that for a moment and then put his drink down. He leaned across the table toward me, maintaining intense eye-contact. I stared back at him, unable to look away from his gorgeous gaze.
“I look at a woman like this,” he said softly. Barely more than a whisper. “And then I say…”
A smile reached his eyes.
“How you doin’?”
I burst out laughing. “Dude! That’s Joey’s line from Friends!”
He leaned back in his chair. “Damnit. I was hoping you didn’t know.”
“So you’re not going to tell me your line?”
That mischievous little smile returned. “When I use a line on you, you’ll know it.”
I started to point out that he never used a line on me that night in the subway station. He’d just grabbed my hand and led me through the subway until we found a secluded spot. No words were necessary—both of us knew what the other wanted. The universal language of body chemistry.
Before I could say anything, Braden asked, “How was your date with Andy?”
“You know what? I had a great time,” I said. “Andy’s a lot of fun when you get him by himself.”
I gave him a brief overview of where we’d gone on the date, and what we’d done.
“Did he kiss you on the cheek at the end?”
I blinked. “Did he tell you he was going to?”
“No,” Braden replied, “but that’s his go-to move. Respectful, and leaves the girl wanting more.”
“Smart.”
I waited for Braden to point out that I didn’t answer the question, but he didn’t push the issue. Which was good, because I didn’t feel like kissing-and-telling. Somehow I knew Andy was the kind of guy who didn’t like to share every intimate detail with his friends.
“Andy is the sweetest guy I know,” Braden said while swirling the ice around in his drink. “He’s not always good about showing it, but it’s there. When he falls for a girl, he falls for a girl.”
“Are you saying he’s fallen for me already?”
“Not necessarily,” Braden said carefully. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if the door was halfway open.”
“It was one date. Let’s give it some more time before we declare that aspect of this whole four-person arrangement a success.”
“Fair enough,” Braden said. “What about the rest of the proposition? Dorian and Ryan?”
“Dorian’s great! He’s my new best friend, and it’s nice hanging out with a guy who wants the same thing.” I shook my head gently. “It’s tough to have guy friends without them developing feelings. Having our expectations out in the open ahead of time simplifies things. I can be myself without worrying that feelings will develop.”
“And Ryan?”
I hesitated. Did Braden know that Ryan and I had already slept together? Ryan seemed like the kind of guy who would bluntly tell everyone. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, so I should probably just tell him the truth.
But I felt weird as I tried to form the words to say so. Ryan and I slept together already, and it was fantastic. Saying so to Braden, who I’d had a steamy one-night stand with in the subway, was about as strange a situation as I could think of. My tongue refused to comply with my brain, and then the awkward silence was stretching between me and Braden.
“Ryan seems nice,” I finally said. “He has a lot of promise.”
