“Oh,” I mutter, still feeling uncomfortable.
“It’s been a while, but I still remember every curve on your body, Jodie, and it’s all fucking good.”
I shouldn’t feel heat shoot through my body and center between my legs. I really shouldn’t. But I do. I push the feeling away. Instead, I remind us both of why I can’t ever allow myself to go there with him again.
“I’m surprised you remember anything with the steady line of women in and out of your door,” I reply, waspishly, as I sit down. He grunts his reply and grabs an old end table and rakes it across the tiled floor, making me wince. The end table is empty, except for a mountain of dust. I look around and find a roll of paper towels on the floor. I roll a couple off and throw those on the floor, because I can’t be sure where they’ve been. Then, roll a few more off and bunch them up in my hand, using them to wipe off the dust. Linc arrives with the take-out bag and takes the paper towels, both clean and dirty, from me. He tosses them into a chair, which looks like it already has too much stuff in it.
“You’ve got a real great opinion of me. I guess I’ve earned it to a point. Maybe I should be flattered you’ve been watching me that closely,” he says, opening the bag by ripping it down the middle.
“Don’t flatter yourself. I haven’t been. My co-worker knows you and she is a fan. She talks about you even when I ask her not to—which I do often,” I mumble.
He hands me a white parchment paper wrapped burger and I take it. Then, he places an order of fries on the ripped bag. I open my burger and inspect it, carefully taking off the pickles, the lettuce and the onion.
“So, making note for next time—plain burger except for mustard and tomato?”
“There will most likely never be a next time, but normally, it’s tomato, mustard, ketchup and onion.”
“But you took the onion off,” he points out.
“I rarely eat onion when I’m out with someone else,” I tell him, opening the little pouches of ketchup and making a ketchupy-puddle next to my fries.
“So you’re expecting us to kiss and make out tonight? Good to know,” he says with a smile.
I stare at him a minute, thinking that he has lost his mind. Then, I hurriedly put the onion back on my burger, making him laugh.
We eat in silence for a little bit. It’s not exactly awkward, but the air around us does feel heavy.
“Who’s your co-worker?” he asks finally, and I immediately wish he hadn’t.
“Bella Carver.”
“Ouch,” he says with a wince, and I nod.
“Pretty much.”
“I really have fucked up, haven’t I?”
I sigh because this is something that’s been mulling about in my head for a while.
“I think that was me. I went to bed with you, and I didn’t know you. I can’t exactly blame you. It was one night and the norm for you. It was anything but for me.”
“I’m sorry Jodie. You aren’t my usual type of girl.”
I don’t know why for the life of me those words should hurt like they do, but damn it, they do. I should be rejoicing that I’m not like his normal choice in women. I put my burger down, suddenly not hungry now.
“Listen, for some reason, Bella thinks you’re still into me. I really only agreed to come here tonight to ask you to please tell your surf bunnies that you’re not.”
“Surf bunnies? Bella has been talking,” he says and he’s clearly not happy about it.
“Yeah. So, if you could let her know that you’re definitely not into me and that we’re no more, I’d appreciate it. She, unfortunately, was there when I got your flowers, so she won’t believe me. Maybe you could also add that the flowers were just a kind gesture for our….”
“For our? Do I tell her I bought you flowers to celebrate the night of hot sex we shared?” he asks, and I get the feeling he’s annoyed at me, not that I understand why at all.
“Just tell her the truth,” I grumble.
“And what would the truth be?”
“That we were both on different pages that night and it never should have happened. Obviously, the flowers were your way of apologizing. It was a nice gesture, really. To be honest, however, I wish you hadn’t. It just got the gossip at work started up again.”
“What if I’m not sorry the night happened, Jodie?”
“Then, I—wait, what?”
“I’m not sorry that night happened. I enjoyed the fuck out of that night, and I do not regret it in the least.”
“I… then you’re a fool,” I gasp. Maybe he really is insane.
“Maybe. I have a suggestion for you, though.”
“What’s that?” I’m almost afraid to ask, but because I’m an idiot when it comes to Lincoln Locke, I do.
“How about we forget how things ended after our night together and start over?”
“Uh… I’m afraid you lost me,” I tell him, staring at him blankly.
“I mean, we forget how Bella came in to get her shit she left—”
“And stripped naked in front of me? That’s kind of hard to forget, Linc.”
“Hey, at least you had a good show?”
I roll my eyes. “I think it’s best that this conversation ends.” I go to get up and Linc stops me by grabbing my hand.
“You and I don’t make sense, Jodie Jones. I don’t think we ever would in any universe.”
“I definitely understand that now, Linc. That’s why I’m saying we need to just forget everything, and you make sure you tell your little surf rabbits that you’re definitely not into me and the flowers were just a nice gesture.”
“Surf bunnies.”
“That’s what I said,” I sigh.
“You said rabbits,” he corrects, grinning at me in a way that it makes his blue eyes sparkle.
“A rabbit is a bunny.”
“In the animal world, sure. But Bella is of the human variety.”
“Is there a point to all of this?” I huff, getting agitated.
“You’re really cute when you’re frustrated, Jodie girl.”
“Can we get back to the part where we were a mistake that should have never happened?” I ask, exasperated.
“I said we don’t make sense, not that we were a mistake. I think I’m starting to understand something,” he says, cryptically.
“I think I’m afraid to ask what.”
“That’s okay, I’m going to tell you anyway,” he supplies. “I think we need each other.”
I laugh. I can’t help it. I’m fully convinced he’s making a huge joke. When he doesn’t join me in laughter, I stop.
“That’s very funny, Linc. Now, can we—”
“I wasn’t joking. We need each other.”
“I think you need a straitjacket,” I reply, shaking my head. I need more caffeine if I’m going to deal with him.
“You’re way too uptight. You need to learn to relax, enjoy life, and go with the flow.”
“I am not uptight. I enjoy myself fine,” I bark out in defense.
“Jodie you’re so tightly strung that I’m afraid you might snap at any moment. That night we were together, it took wine and constantly working at it to get you to soften.”