Page 13 of Easy On Me

“We met last night.” I leaned back in the chair. “It is all about that.”

“That’s why we should hang out today. Do something fun and get to know one another better.” He saluted me with his coffee mug. “Start a beautiful love story.”

I pinned him with my best don’t-bullshit-me look. “You just got out of a beautiful love story.”

“Wonder now if any of it was beautiful.” His face twisted. A pause hovered, his gaze on his half-eaten pancake. “Hindsight is starting to tell me nope. And I see I was out of it emotionally a while back. Figured that’s how long relationships went, although I should have looked at my parents and grandparents. And I cared about her, even if I didn’t love love her, and I didn’t want to hurt her.”

My scoff hurt my nose.

One corner of his mouth kicked upward in a rueful grin. “Yeah, I know. I was a dumbass. I learn from my mistakes, though.”

“I don’t want a complicated relationship.” Even I heard the hard note in my voice. “I’m not wired for it.”

His small snicker exploded between us. “You dated Colt Calvert. He’s complicated like a hydraulic system.”

“I know that now.” I crossed my arms. “He looked easy then.”

“If he looked easy, you needed your eyes checked.” He cut off another bite of pancake. “Known them all my life. The only easy Calvert boy is Chuck.”

He eyed me a moment.

Measuring me.

I refused to squirm under that regard. Something about that slow assessment rang too damn familiar, tickling at some far off memory, and I didn’t like it.

“So if you don’t do complicated, we have to be intentional so we’re not in a situationship.”

“Intentional.” The ideas wasn’t scary at all, although I’d learned from Mama Nancy that intentional structure created stability – and ease. “Define intentional.”

“I’m a longterm kind of guy.” He shrugged, a slow roll of his wide shoulders. “You don’t date someone you wouldn’t marry.”

I snorted.

He ignored me. “We’re definitely compatible in the bedroom. I like your personality. So now we spend time together and get to know each other. We check in, make sure it’s working for both of us. Something bothers one of us? We talk about it.”

I studied him now, weighing, assessing. I could be on board with that. I’d learned not to bottle things up until I exploded, and I’d read about effective communication, too.

“You like my personality?” Wait, where had that come from? Could I come off any needier?

“Yeah. You’re funny and sharp, and you take charge. You’re real.” He tapped the end of my nose with one finger. “Who wouldn’t like that?”

I could name some people. My former boyfriend would top the list.

“I’m not him.” His voice took on a flinty note. “And I’m not near as complicated.”

I already knew that. Sitting here, wearing his shirt, his scent lingering on my body, I could breathe.

And he seemed to know what he was doing, what he wanted, despite his appalling life choice before me.

“Okay.” I gave a lazy stretch, reached for my cup, and smiled. “So what are we doing today?”

A slow grin curved his mouth, and oh, that bottom lip. I needed him to get tested and cleared, fast, so I could have that mouth on me. “Wanna go fishing?”

“What?” Scowling, I shook my head and took a fortifying sip. “No.”

“We won’t catch anything because it’s too late in the day and too warm, so the lake won’t be crowded.”

“I don’t fish, Jase.” I suppressed a shudder. Colt loved it, and how often had he shown up after a day at the river, reeking of fish attractant?