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Kelli was analyzing what had happened between them using historical data, taking everything she knew about him—his resistance to commitments, his sexual track record, his aversion to clingy women—and coming up with what she assumed would be a rock-solid conclusion.
That he wouldn’t want more from her than just that one night.
That he wouldn’t want to pursue anything serious.
She was wrong.
But Kelli wasn’t a Collins. Which meant it was going to take her a little longer to catch up. To figure out what he’d just realized down in the pub.
The curse had struck.
And damn if it didn’t have a sick sense of humor.
So he was going to give her time. But not much.
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Why don’t we take a few days?” he suggested. “Let the dust settle on this. You coming Sunday for football?”
She hesitated just long enough that he knew she was planning on avoiding him for a while. So he needed to put her on more solid ground, give her the Colm she was used to. It was a sneak attack on his part—but he played to win. Which was something Kelli knew very well but was probably going to forget in this instance.
He fought to school his features.
This was going to be fun.
“Let me rephrase that,” he said. “You’re coming for football on Sunday.”
Kelli rolled her eyes. “You know that macho shit doesn’t work with me.”
“I don’t know,” he murmured. “I seem to recall something different on Halloween. You liked it when I spanked your ass. Oh…and I was right about the hair-pulling too.”
She sighed. “You’re going to be insufferable about this, aren’t you?”
“Would you expect anything different?”
“How many years until I live this down?”
He chuckled. “All of them.”
Indomitable soul that she was, she just grinned. “You’re an asshole.”
“And you’re beautiful.”
She froze, waiting for the punch line.
There wasn’t one. He was overwhelmed by the desire to kiss her confusion away, to push her onto her back and show her exactly how things were going to play out from here…but Kelli wouldn’t go down without a fight.
So he was going to take some time and figure out his game plan first.
When the silence stretched just a second too long, she glanced over his shoulder at the door. “I should…go.”
He nodded, following suit as she stood up.
Kelli walked to the door and unlocked it, but he pushed it closed just as she started opening it.
“Turn around, Kelli.”
She sighed, feigning annoyance, though he suspected what she really felt was nervousness. She twisted, her back pressed against the door, stealing every inch of distance she could manage from him.
