“Do you still want to hang out with me?”
Pulling to a stop at a red light, Patti looked over at him. Jon sat there looking sheepish as ever. She smiled, and then sighed dramatically. “Well, since I’ve already cleared my schedule, I guess I have nothing better to do.”
“Ouch. Has anyone ever told you that you’re brutal?” he joked.
“Can’t say that they have.” But they’d called her worse.
Jon blew out a breath. “What do you say to picking up a movie or something? We can go back to my place, or yours, if you prefer. I’ll even whip you up some of my world-famous spaghetti.”
“Can spaghetti be famous?” Patti grinned.
Jon winked at her. “World famous, and when I make it, it can.”
Although Patti’s head was still reeling from their sudden shift from happy to mad to happy again, she knew that she wasn’t ready to call an end to their day. Like her, she got the impression that Jon was a passionate man, which made for passionate responses. It wasn’t the end of the world that they’d had a little meeting of the minds, and aside from her father, he was the only man who’d ever taken the time to admit when he was wrong. When it came down to it, that’s what sold her. Jon had strength of character that didn’t come along often, and she wanted more time to explore what he had to offer before she wrote him off.
Stretching her arm out, she rested her hand on his thigh and rubbed it suggestively. “Then I can’t wait to taste it.”
12
Jon felt like a total ass.
After they’d hit the video store and picked up a comedy from the new releases, Patti had handed over the keys and told him to drive. After what had happened, he’d refused the offer, but she claimed that she was tired and since he knew the way back to his house better than she did, it made more sense.
He knew the real reason behind her wanting him to drive, but instead of causing another argument, he’d let it go and got behind the wheel.
Despite the obvious tension that sat between them, he had to admit it felt great to drive a car of its caliber again. He wasn’t sure how much Patti knew about cars—although considering that he’d found her underneath one when he’d gone to pick her up for their first date, he suspected she knew plenty—and he wondered if she understood just how much power she was packing under the hood.
Without a doubt, it was enough to give any one of those cars at the raceway a run for their money.
On the television, Jason Bateman hit Melissa McCarthy in the head with a Panini maker. It should have been funny, but neither one of them were laughing.
Looking over, Jon observed Patti’s stiff demeanor. An entire cushion separated them. It might as well have been an island. Her hands sat clasped in her lap, her legs pinned together at the knee. She hadn’t moved for the last hour, not even to scratch her nose.
She looked uncomfortable.
Extending his arm across the back of the couch, he twisted his body so it angled toward hers. Patti glanced over, smiled a little, and then returned to the movie.
Jon wasn’t naïve. He knew she was avoiding him, and he knew it was his fault. He’d fucked everything up. What should have been a nice day had gone down the shitter the moment he decided to open his trap and critique her driving ability.
He needed to get over himself. She couldn’t have known the reasoning behind his outburst, only that he was yelling at her, and he knew he’d hurt her. There wasn’t a good enough excuse for his behavior. It was reprehensible and he wouldn’t blame her if she walked out the door tonight and never looked back, but that was the last thing he wanted her to do.
From the moment he laid eyes on her, he knew he wanted to know her better. From the way she looked to the way she carried herself, she was nothing like any of the women he’d been keeping company with for the last several years. She breathed life into something inside of him he’d thought died long ago. She was like a ray of sunshine in his cloudy world, giving him warmth and offering hope of brighter days ahead. He wasn’t ready to let her walk out of his life just yet.
He wanted to make it up to her, but he needed to find a way to bridge the gap first, and the best way to do that was for both of them to let off a little steam.
Patti tried to relax and watch the movie, but she just wasn’t feeling it. Her mind was preoccupied with the fight she’d had with Jon earlier. The more she combed over it, the sadder she became. How had everything gone so wrong so fast?
Less than a month since her break-up with Kyle and already she had managed to forge a relationship and burn it to the ground. That had to be a new record somewhere.
With a mental kick, she reminded herself that if she could find some way to stop being such a hardhead, she might actually find a relationship that would stick one day. Unfortunately, she wasn’t holding out much hope for this one. As determined as she was to hold on to it a little more than an hour ago, once they reached his condo, all of her hope had dashed right out the door.
At the moment, Jon was sitting clear on the other end of the couch. Aside from asking her if she wanted something to drink, they’d popped in the movie the minute they crossed the threshold and dug into the cartons of Chinese take-out in total silence. It was like being present at a funeral with their barely formed relationship resting deader than a doornail between them.
Talk about depressing.
Every few minutes her eyes strayed to the digital clock displayed on the DVD player. She was counting down the time until she could call an end to this painful charade and go home, where she would bury her head under the blankets and sleep away as much of the last three weeks as possible.
Why couldn’t she just find a nice, good-looking man who would stick around for the long haul? Was that really asking for too much? Was it possible that her mother had snagged the last of a dying breed?
Drawing in a deep breath, Patti let it drag back out slowly. How much longer was this movie anyway? There was nothing she’d rather be doing less than sitting in total silence with someone who couldn’t even stomach looking at her while watching a movie that would normally have her rolling in hysterics, and being incapable of cracking even the smallest smile.
The evening had been a total disaster, and the more she thought about it, the sooner Patti realized that it would be best if she just ended their misery now instead of dragging it out another hour.
Gearing herself up to break the silence and announce her departure, Patti tucked a thread of hair behind her ear and shifted to face Jon, but he’d already beat her to it.
There, at the opposite end of the couch, Jon watched her with determination flashing in his heavenly blue eyes. The light from the television cast a muted glow along one side of his face, casting him in a dangerous light. It made everything about him appear dark and forbidding, and it made her blood sizzle.
“Are you still mad at me, Patricia?” His question was soft, barely audible over the calamity happening on-screen, but with her gaze locked on his perfect mouth, she’d heard every word.
Her head twisted side to side. “No, I’m not mad.” Disappointed would be more apt.
The arm he had draped over the back of the couch came down, and he held out his hand to her. “Then what are you doing all the way over there?”
On instinct, and maybe the wish to be closer to him, too, Patti slid her hand into his. With a gentle tug, Jon pulled her across the cushions and snuggled her up against his chest.
He tucked her head under his chin and his fingers wound into her hair, stroking the length of it. “There, that’s better. I didn’t like having you so far away where I couldn’t touch you.”