"What the hell? You've humiliated me again!" Lauren shoved her auburn hair over her shoulder and threw a glance at the Scrabble board, shaking her head in confusion at the trouncing she'd just received. She turned her attention back to Josh who sat across from her at the dining table lounging in his chair. He gave her a smug look that should have annoyed her but all it did was encourage a smile. Every hour that passed by had her appreciating his company more and more.
Her housemate Cindy had gone away a couple of days ago for a two week holiday with her boyfriend, informing Lauren that it would be a romantic getaway spent mostly in bed—along with lots of other details Lauren didn't want or need to know. Since her room would be empty, she'd offered it up to her cousin Josh who was in town visiting family for the week.
Lauren had been friends with Cindy for years so she'd seen Josh on several occasions; not enough to feel as if she knew him well, but enough to make the awkwardness disappear that often came along with meeting someone new. The bottle of wine they'd shared tonight hadn't hurt in that regard either.
Unfortunately, no matter how hard she'd tried for a different result he'd easily taken out the first two games in their best-of-three series. He'd followed that up by gallantly offering to call her the outright champion if she could take him in the third but...
"How did you do that?" she asked.
He raised his hands in mock surrender. "It's not my fault. I kept trying to dumb myself down to give you a chance but I just can't sink that far."
Lauren felt a laugh building inside her even as she scowled at him. She hadn't been in a relationship or casually intimate with a man in...long enough that remembering took some effort. Josh made an appealing vision with his coffee-brown hair all rumpled and his grey eyes shining with amusement. He wore a blue t-shirt and the dining table hid long, denim-covered legs.
"I guess I don't have anyone to blame but myself," she said. "You don't look very smart so it gave me a false sense of security." She folded one of her legs under her on the dining chair and tucked her red tank-top style dress around her thighs. The sound of Josh's deep laughter drifted toward her as she reached across the table to pack up the game. They'd shifted back and forth between trading teasing insults and flirting all night but it had reached the point now where she didn't even realise she was doing it anymore.
"Smartass. You have a surprisingly quick mouth for someone who looks so sweet."
She sent him a smile as she swept the tiles from the board. "That's one of the things men usually like most about me." Lauren didn't know whether it was the buzz from the wine that had her saying things she wouldn't normally say or the fact that Josh had just proven to be easy company.
She lifted her gaze with the intention of continuing on with the innuendoes, but her eyes met his and a sudden shock of awareness passed between them that made her heart trip. He maintained the connection, patiently watching her, and a feeling of longing came over her the likes of which she'd never experienced before. The entire moment only lasted a couple of seconds but it was enough to stir a flurry of butterflies in her stomach.
He leaned forward to help pack away the game, his movements dispersing the strange mood that had settled over them. "Why's that?" he asked.
"Um...Why's what?" She had no idea how he could act like nothing had happened when she could barely string two words together.
"Why do men like your mouth?" He raised his brows, appearing entertained by the new direction the conversation had headed. "What do you do with it that keeps them coming back for more?"
A flood of erotic images washed over her and the words that had flowed freely all night faltered. While she pictured what she could do to him with her mouth, Lauren took her time placing the rest of the Scrabble contents in the box, hoping if she stalled long enough he'd move on to a different subject and her heart would stop thumping so hard. Unfortunately the sound of his low chuckle told her otherwise.
She glanced up to catch him looking at her again, his smile helping to ease the sudden tension. Lauren narrowed her eyes and flicked one of the Scrabble tiles at him. "Stop teasing me."
He blocked her attack and grinned. "I can't help it. You're cute when you blush."
Her pale skin had always burned rather than tanned. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose, too. She didn't embarrass easily but when something did manage to set her off it always showed on her face. The fact that a simple question from him could trigger the response surprised her. "People always call me cute," she said. "I'm not cute."
"I disagree. Besides, you're other things, too." He pushed his chair back and stood, nodding in the direction of the kitchen. "Let's grab the other bottle of wine and I'll humiliate you on the Wii next."
Lauren shoved her chair away from the table. She wasn't sure if the teasing would bother her coming from anyone else, but from Josh it seemed to work like a strange kind of foreplay. She stood and collected their empty glasses, her bare feet padding across the wood floor as she followed behind him. "So...What other things am I?" she asked as she wandered into the kitchen. Lauren knew the question probably made her sound needy but she couldn't let it go now he'd brought it up.
"Hmm..." Josh grabbed the red wine from the counter and glanced at her while he opened the bottle. "Intelligent?"
He popped the cork and gestured to her for the glasses. She held one out for him to fill. "Any chance you could, you know... sound a bit more confident about that?"
He chuckled as he tipped the bottle. "Okay, intelligent-minus-the-question-mark. You're also funny."
"Thanks." She smiled.
Wine splashed from the mouth of the bottle, his fingers wrapping around hers to steady the glass. She couldn't tell if the move had been intentional but the look they'd shared earlier now paled in comparison to his touch. Her hand tingled where it met his and she had to fight the impulse to move in closer.
Lauren offered him the remaining glass and he released his hold on her to fill it. Once he'd set the bottle on the bench, he took his drink from her outstretched hand and their eyes met over their wine glasses while they sipped.
She'd discovered over the past several hours that she loved looking at him. Although her glances had mostly been fleeting, each time she checked him out she found something new to appreciate. Her pulse skipped as she took in the thick lashes fringing his eyes and the layer of scruff on his jaw. When he lowered his glass her attention drifted to his lips, the temptation to lean in and sample them almost getting the better of her.
