that, he kept asking every year, to make a joke of it. By now, it was as quaint a tradition, so I gave the standard reply. "Sorry. Washing my hair that night."
Ben grinned, digging his hands down into the pockets of his jeans. "Oh, c'mon. Aren't you the creative sort? You've gotta come up with something more insulting than that. Sure you wouldn't rather clean out your closet or read some really long, boring, Russian novel?"
I laughed. "Depends on the Russian novel."
"You might enjoy War and Peace . But I think you've always been more of a Crime and Punishment sort of girl…"
I laughed again. I couldn't help it. Both because I hadn't thought him capable of naming even one boring Russian novel, much less two, and it was surprisingly suggestive for a straight-arrow like Ben. "You're right—I'm definitely more of a Crime and Punishment kind of girl."
He dimpled me a smile. "So why won't you spend New Year's Eve with me?"
He wasn't actually asking, was he? To be fair, Ben was nice to look at. Under those sparkling brown eyes, the military hair cut and his white button down dress shirt, Ben was obviously well-built. But I liked my men scruffy. Rough around the edges. Sunny All-American beefcakes weren't my type. "Sorry, I'm seeing someone."
He nodded, as if he weren't surprised. "Is it serious?"
Not really. Not at all….
In the last year I'd dated the front man of a rock band who cheated on me with a groupie. Then I'd hooked up with the director of a play who refused to cast me in anything unless I slept with him. Which I had. Not to get the part, but because he was brilliant and hot. So my sex life was fine. But my love life was a disaster. "Ok, so I'm not seeing anybody seriously."
Ben grinned, leaning against the doorframe. "So if you're single, and I'm single, why can't we give it a shot?"
Adjusting the cookie tray for a better grip, I shivered a little at the nip in the air, then ticked off the reasons. "Because I've known you since we were kids. Because I'm a city slicker and you're a country boy. I have tattoos and you have a buzz cut. You're a dog person, I'm a cat person. But most of all, because you can't handle me, Soldier."
I said it with bravado and a little more flirtation than I had intended—damn that eggnog!
He took it for a challenge. "That so?"
"You're a nice guy, Ben. Trustworthy and always prepared. The kind of guy who doesn't jay walk and follows the speed limit. Whereas I'm a bad girl to the bone. It'd never work."
" Huh ." He said, rocking back a bit on his heels, then forward again before letting out a long breath that steamed into the air. "What if I told you that I like bad girls?"
"Every guy thinks he like bad girls…until he actually finds one."
" Huh ," Ben said, again, eyes narrowing. "What if I promised to make your dirtiest bad girl fantasy come true?"
I rolled my eyes. "My dirtiest fantasy would send you screaming into the night, Boyo."
That really should've been the end of it.
I thought he'd laugh it off and let me pass. Instead, he closed the door, shutting the noise of the party out behind us. Then he sat down on the wooden step with his big hands dangling off the edge of his knees like he meant for us to chat for a while. "Try me."
I gave his foot a little kick with the toe of my stylish boot. "Like I'm going to tell you my secret fantasies."
Ben grinned. "Who else are you gonna tell? Besides, didn't you just say that I was trustworthy?"
It was tempting to tell him my fantasy just to wipe that insufferable grin off his face. But there were some things I'd never confessed to anyone. "No way. You'd never look at me the same way again."
He was undeterred. "Well, something's gotta change between us, doesn't it? How many times can a guy keep getting shot down before he takes it personally?"
"Sorry, but that's your mom's fault."
"Nah," he said, looking up into my eyes. "I've been crushing on you since I was in braces and you were being grounded for sneaking out of the
Ben grinned, digging his hands down into the pockets of his jeans. "Oh, c'mon. Aren't you the creative sort? You've gotta come up with something more insulting than that. Sure you wouldn't rather clean out your closet or read some really long, boring, Russian novel?"
I laughed. "Depends on the Russian novel."
"You might enjoy War and Peace . But I think you've always been more of a Crime and Punishment sort of girl…"
I laughed again. I couldn't help it. Both because I hadn't thought him capable of naming even one boring Russian novel, much less two, and it was surprisingly suggestive for a straight-arrow like Ben. "You're right—I'm definitely more of a Crime and Punishment kind of girl."
He dimpled me a smile. "So why won't you spend New Year's Eve with me?"
He wasn't actually asking, was he? To be fair, Ben was nice to look at. Under those sparkling brown eyes, the military hair cut and his white button down dress shirt, Ben was obviously well-built. But I liked my men scruffy. Rough around the edges. Sunny All-American beefcakes weren't my type. "Sorry, I'm seeing someone."
He nodded, as if he weren't surprised. "Is it serious?"
Not really. Not at all….
In the last year I'd dated the front man of a rock band who cheated on me with a groupie. Then I'd hooked up with the director of a play who refused to cast me in anything unless I slept with him. Which I had. Not to get the part, but because he was brilliant and hot. So my sex life was fine. But my love life was a disaster. "Ok, so I'm not seeing anybody seriously."
Ben grinned, leaning against the doorframe. "So if you're single, and I'm single, why can't we give it a shot?"
Adjusting the cookie tray for a better grip, I shivered a little at the nip in the air, then ticked off the reasons. "Because I've known you since we were kids. Because I'm a city slicker and you're a country boy. I have tattoos and you have a buzz cut. You're a dog person, I'm a cat person. But most of all, because you can't handle me, Soldier."
I said it with bravado and a little more flirtation than I had intended—damn that eggnog!
He took it for a challenge. "That so?"
"You're a nice guy, Ben. Trustworthy and always prepared. The kind of guy who doesn't jay walk and follows the speed limit. Whereas I'm a bad girl to the bone. It'd never work."
" Huh ." He said, rocking back a bit on his heels, then forward again before letting out a long breath that steamed into the air. "What if I told you that I like bad girls?"
"Every guy thinks he like bad girls…until he actually finds one."
" Huh ," Ben said, again, eyes narrowing. "What if I promised to make your dirtiest bad girl fantasy come true?"
I rolled my eyes. "My dirtiest fantasy would send you screaming into the night, Boyo."
That really should've been the end of it.
I thought he'd laugh it off and let me pass. Instead, he closed the door, shutting the noise of the party out behind us. Then he sat down on the wooden step with his big hands dangling off the edge of his knees like he meant for us to chat for a while. "Try me."
I gave his foot a little kick with the toe of my stylish boot. "Like I'm going to tell you my secret fantasies."
Ben grinned. "Who else are you gonna tell? Besides, didn't you just say that I was trustworthy?"
It was tempting to tell him my fantasy just to wipe that insufferable grin off his face. But there were some things I'd never confessed to anyone. "No way. You'd never look at me the same way again."
He was undeterred. "Well, something's gotta change between us, doesn't it? How many times can a guy keep getting shot down before he takes it personally?"
"Sorry, but that's your mom's fault."
"Nah," he said, looking up into my eyes. "I've been crushing on you since I was in braces and you were being grounded for sneaking out of the
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