by Penny Reid
Janie issued me a skeptical glare. I’m sure she meant it to look distrustful, but instead she just looked adorable and gorgeous. “You’re going to make fun of me.”
I smiled despite myself, something that was becoming very common when we were together. “I’m not going to make fun of you. I really want to know.” I reached for her hand, losing the war against restraint, wanting to feel the warmth of her skin against mine. “Why do you like it here?”
She tilted her head, her big hazel eyes moving over my face, then meeting mine. I guessed they were looking for the sincerity of my statement. I wanted to kiss her again but knew that she would never answer the question if I did.
“It’s actually embarrassing, and it’s about my worst day ever, which actually turned into one of the best days ever because it was the first time I talked to you and looked at you in the eye. Did you know that I had a really hard time doing that? Looking at you in the eye was hard for me, and in my defense, there are actually a number of cultures where it is a sign of respect not to look someone in the eye. For example, in Japan, school-aged children—”
“Janie.” I moved our hands behind her back, drawing her against me. “Why do you love it here?”
She blinked, her soft mouth parted. She blushed. It was devastating and made my pulse quicken.
I used to try to make her blush on purpose. I enjoyed flustering her and watching the way her eyes heated, and I especially loved the way she would glance at me through her lashes. Janie was brilliant and beautiful. I loved that I seemed to be one of the few who could surprise her enough to elicit an involuntary reaction.
It’s not that Janie was cold; it’s that she was naturally aloof. Whenever I watched her at work or in a group, she seemed to be holding herself apart from the action, but it never struck me as purposeful. She appeared to be more comfortable watching. Maybe that’s why her impulsive reactions were so gratifying.
“It’s the bathroom fixtures.” She cleared her throat and lifted her chin, meeting my gaze directly, bravely. “I am a fan of bathrooms. I have found them to be exceptionally good for meditation.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Meditation? You meditate in the bathroom?”
She nodded, fighting a smile. “Well, it’s meditation of a sort. I used to wrap all my thoughts up and put them in a box on a shelf in a closet in my head, but lately, I just sit in the bathroom and work through things in there. Something about all the porcelain and tile, I think.” She pulled away from me, glancing over my shoulder. “Hey, Elizabeth! I didn’t know you were already here.”
Honestly, I’d forgotten Elizabeth was there. I released my hold on Janie and stepped back as she greeted her friend.
“Yep. Got here a little while ago.” Elizabeth smiled warmly at Janie and hitched a thumb over her shoulder. “I’ve been looking at faucets.”
“Are you done looking? What time is our reservation? Because I wouldn’t mind looking around if we have time…” Janie’s hopeful eyes moved between Elizabeth and me.
“We have plenty of time; the reservation isn’t until six thirty, and we’re only ten minutes away,” I reassured her and won an immediate smile.
Elizabeth took Janie by the hand. “Come look at these; the lever release is really smooth.”
I watched as Janie and Elizabeth approached the row of sink fixtures and fiddled with the knobs, oohing and ahhing at intervals. I hung back and just studied the pair of them: Janie, tall and perfectly round in all the right places contrasted with Elizabeth’s shorter, slimmer form. They were opposites in many ways, but they interacted with the practiced ease that only time and trusted friendship brings.
When they’d exhausted their time and returned to where I stood, I was pretending to check my email on my phone. I didn’t want to admit in front of her friend that I’d been merely watching her for the last quarter of an hour, enjoying her animated expressions and the way she moved. Also, studying their interaction allowed me to recognize how relaxed Janie was around Elizabeth. This friendship meant a great deal to Janie. It meant a great deal to both of them.
I glanced up and met Janie’s smile with one of my own. “Are we ready?”
Janie nodded, biting her lip. “I am very ready. I am so hungry I could eat a horse, but not in the demonstration of great wealth way or the sacrifice to the gods way, but in the colloquialism way in which I am stating that I am very hungry.”
Elizabeth chuckled at Janie’s earnest explanation and caught my gaze. She gave me a small smile then abruptly narrowed her eyes at me.
“Uh…” Elizabeth suddenly pulled out the hospital pager from her purse. “Well, look at that; shoot.” She looked up at Janie and her expression was apologetic. “It looks like I won’t be able to come to dinner tonight.” Elizabeth glanced at me briefly then added, “I guess it’s just you two kids tonight.”
One of my eyebrows lifted, as is my habit when I am suspicious of a person or a situation. The timing of her page seemed very remarkable, and I knew immediately what Elizabeth was doing. She’d just had fifteen minutes of uninterrupted Janie time in a bathroom fixture store. Elizabeth was showing me that she, too, could share Janie by gracefully bowing out of dinner.
Janie frowned. “That’s too bad.” Her gaze flickered to me then back to Elizabeth, and the volume of her voice was slightly lower when she spoke again. “I was really hoping that you and Quinn might have a chance to…you know, talk and get to know each other a little better.”
I watched as her blonde friend gave her a soft smile. “I’ll have to take a rain check; I’m sorry. I really have to go.” Elizabeth squeezed Janie’s hand then moved toward the door. “Have a good time!”
My lips twisted to the side as Elizabeth moved past me and I gave her a grateful smile, which I was sure reached my eyes. She issued me a meaningful glare that told me unequivocally: You owe me one.
I nodded to let her know that I understood and that I intended to pay her back. In fact, I fully intended to exploit Elizabeth’s knowledge of Janie’s tastes when choosing an engagement ring and planning the proposal. My future interactions with Elizabeth would be mutually beneficial, and surprisingly, I was actually looking forward to becoming friends with her. I was looking forward to how happy it would make Janie.
Janie’s sigh pulled my attention back to her, and I enveloped her in my arms as the bell jingled on the front door announcing Elizabeth’s departure.
“That’s too bad.” She snuggled against my chest.
“There will be a next time.”
Janie grunted noncommittally then leaned back, catching my eye. “Did you two talk before I arrived?”
I nodded.
“What did you talk about?”
I tilted my head to the side and allowed myself to study her features. She had a beautiful face, perfect lips, light freckles, big eyes. The color of her eyes was mossy gold, and it made me want to write crap poetry and hire a skywriter.
“Quinn?”
I blinked at her upturned face. “Uh…what?”
She blushed and glanced at me through her eyelashes. “What did you two talk about before I arrived?”
I cleared my throat to stall. I didn’t want to lie, I wasn’t going to lie, but I couldn’t give her the whole truth, either. Instead, I settled for what she called selective truth. In this case, I felt completely justified.
“We were discussing a project of mine. She thought she could help me as she has familiarity with the subject matter.” I shrugged and surreptitiously started to unwind her hair.
“Oh.” Her eyes moved between mine, searching, and I held her gaze boldly. “Are you going to let her help?”
I nodded. “Yes. She’s going to help me. I think it’ll be good.” I succeeded in releasing her hair and felt my body tighten at the openness of her expression framed by the mass of wild plumage.
Her smile was slow, delighted, and it made my breath catch. “I am so glad.”
I considered her for a moment, and seriously thought
about falling to my knees and proposing right there in the luxury-plumbing fixture store on West Lake Street. I looked at this beautiful woman, and all I could think was Want. Mine. Need.
Before I could make good on the Neanderthal impulse, Janie gave me a quick kiss and stepped out of my arms. She slid her fingers between mine and tugged me toward the door.
“Come on; the sooner we go eat that horse, the sooner we can go back to your place.” Janie’s eyebrows wagged very clumsily, and I allowed her to lead me from the store. I was busy admiring her backside and the shape of her legs in the ridiculous stilettos she was wearing as she pushed open the door.
We walked down the street toward the restaurant and she held my hand. I was silent because my mind was still racing; the thought of her as my wife overwhelmed me. I was undeserving of her brilliance and sweetness, but I would marry her if she’d have me, and I would never let her go.
“Hey.” She poked me in the ribs. “Why is your face like that?”
I swallowed the thickness in my throat; my voice sounded raspy to my own ears. “Like what?”
“Like all serious and determined. It’s the look you get when you’re about to rain down a world of hurt.”
“Rain down a world of hurt? Where did you pick that up?” I tilted my head to the side, narrowing my eyes.
“From Steven. We were talking about how you rained down a world of hurt on Olivia last week.”
In fact, I’d fired her. I hadn’t been gentle either. I had no tolerance for incompetence.
I grimaced. “She was bad at her job. She needed to go.”
“I agree, but don’t change the subject; why is your face the world of hurt face?”
“It’s not—it’s not.” I shook my head then pulled her to a stop. My arms encircled her. I pressed her body against mine and kissed her, softly, catching her off guard. Despite her initial surprise, she responded beautifully and allowed me to take what I needed: her warmth and her blind acceptance.
Except she wasn’t blind—she was smart. She knew me and loved me anyway.
I pulled away, just far enough so that her eyes were in focus. Her lashes fluttered open and she gazed at me, trusting and happy.
My voice was a growl. “I love you.”
She smiled. “I know.”
I released a slow breath and lost myself in her mossy gold eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”
She licked her lips, her gaze lowering to my mouth, and her smile widened. “Oh, you deserve me.” She nodded, her eyes moving back to mine. “You’ve made me fearless.”
It was a confession, and I felt it like a heavy weight in my chest. I wanted to give her a confession too. I swallowed with effort then brushed my lips over hers. My words were a whisper that only she could hear.
“And you make me a good guy.”
THE END
Pre-order Penny Reid’s next release Marriage of Inconvenience coming 2018!
Pre-order now!
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To read additional bonus content with Janie and Quinn click here
To pre-order the next book in the Knitting in the City Series click here
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Read on for a sneak peek of Penny Reid's latest work!
There are three things you need to know about Kat Tanner (aka Kathleen Tyson. . . and yes, she is *that* Kathleen Tyson): 1) She’s determined to make good decisions, 2) She must get married ASAP, and 3) She knows how to knit.
Being a billionaire heiress isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. In fact, it sucks. Determined to live a quiet life, Kat Tanner changed her identity years ago and eschewed her family’s legacy. But now, Kat’s silver spoon past has finally caught up with her, and so have her youthful mistakes. To avoid imminent disaster, she must marry immediately; it is essential that the person she chooses have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever and be completely trustworthy.
Fortunately, she knows exactly who to ask. Dan O’Malley checks all the boxes: single, romantically indifferent to her, completely trustworthy. Sure, she might have a wee little crush on Dan the Security Man, but with clear rules, expectations, and a legally binding contract, Kat is certain she can make it through this debacle with her sanity—and heart—all in one piece.
Except, what happens when Dan O’Malley isn’t as indifferent—or as trustworthy—as she thought?
Marriage of Inconvenience is the book #7 in the Knitting in the City series and is available for pre-order!
About the Author
Penny Reid lives in Seattle, Washington with her husband, three kids, and an inordinate amount of yarn. She used to spend her days writing federal grant proposals as a biomedical researcher, but now she just writes books.
Originally published in 2013, ‘Neanderthal Seeks Human’ was her first full-length novel. As of 2018, Penny has published 16 novels.
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Come find me-
Mailing list signup: http://pennyreid.ninja/newsletter/ (get exclusive stories, sneak peeks, and pictures of cats knitting hats)
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Other books by Penny Reid
Knitting in the City Series
(Contemporary Romantic Comedy)
Neanderthal Seeks Human: A Smart Romance (#1)
Neanderthal Marries Human: A Smarter Romance (#1.5)
Friends without Benefits: An Unrequited Romance (#2)
Love Hacked: A Reluctant Romance (#3)
Beauty and the Mustache: A Philosophical Romance (#4)
Ninja at First Sight (#4.75)
Happily Ever Ninja: A Married Romance (#5)
Dating-ish: A Humanoid Romance (#6)
Marriage of Inconvenience (#7)
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Winston Brothers Series
(Contemporary Romantic Comedy, spinoff of Beauty and the Mustache)
Truth or Beard (#1)
Grin and Beard It (#2)
Beard Science (#3)
Beard in Mind (#4)
Dr. Strange Beard (#5)
Beard with Me (#5.5)
Beard Necessities (#6)
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Hypothesis Series
(New Adult Romantic Comedy)
Elements of Chemistry: ATTRACTION, HEAT, and CAPTURE (#1)
Laws of Physics: MOTION, SPACE, and TIME (#2, coming 2018)
Fundamentals of Biology: STRUCTURE, EVOLUTION, and GROWTH (#3, coming 2019)
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Irish Players (Rugby) Series – by L.H. Cosway and Penny Reid
(Contemporary Sports Romance)
The Hooker and the Hermit (#1)
The Pixie and the Player (#2)
The Cad and the Co-ed (#3)
The Voyeur and the Vet (#4)