Better Than You (The Walker Family Series Book 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

compared to all her candlelit dinners with Greg; forget letting her guard down, it had been knocked down. And she was starting to think that Mike being six-foot-whatever he was and big-shouldered was terribly attractive.
    “I can’t believe you’re beating me,” he said as he returned to his seat and made a dramatic show of throwing himself down into it.
    “You’re going to go there?” sShe reached for her beer. “That whole beat by a girl pouting thing?”
    He gave her a sideways look as he punched his score into the touchscreen. “No. Both my sisters can out-bowl me.”
    Delta felt a smile tugging and tried to stop it. Something about knowing he had sisters – sisters who were better bowlers – sent a small shot of warmth through her. Guys didn’t talk about siblings if they were just out to get laid in a hurry.
    “But I didn’t figure you would be able to.”
    “Why?” S he gave him another arched-brow look and took the last onion ring.
    His grin was shameless. “You’ve got that whole princess thing going on.”
    “And princesses can’t bowl?”
    “Not in my experience, no.”
    “You’re rude, you know,” she said, smile still threatening. He was rude, but in a way, he was brave too. He’d flirted with her over his perfume disaster, had come back the next day, dogged in his pursuit. And he was bold enough to tell her what he thought.
    “I know.” He tapped the screen in front of him. “Your turn.”
    “I have a question .” She lingered in her chair. His eyes came to hers when she didn’t speak right away and stayed there. He paid attention, this one. Was attentive without putting any effort into it. And his eyes, she noted again for reasons she didn’t understand, were very green. “Why did you buy that red dress yesterday?”
    He feigned casual, but the slightest hint of color came up along his cheekbones. “You already know, so why do you have to even ask?”
    “I don’t know,” she mused, smiling. “I think I just want to hear it.”
    “Like I said – princess.”
    “Manipulative playboy,” she countered. She was smiling like an idiot . She put a fingernail between her teeth in hopes of at least covering it a little.
    “Playboy?” He sat back in his chair, offended.
    “You were buying perfume for someone and now we’re here.”
    “Yeah, okay.” His hand went back through his blonde hair, leaving it messy.
    “So the dress,” Delta prompted, and twirled a foot as she waited, still smiling.
    “Well you wouldn’t have gone out with me if you thought I was a cheapass, would you?”
    “Oh, so now I’m materialistic?”
    “High maintenance at least.”
    She felt a giggle coming up the back of her throat. A giggle – like she was in high school. She managed to turn it into a more appropriate laugh, but she couldn’t stop it. She didn’t know which was more remarkable – laughing on a date, or laughing on this date, with this guy, in particular.
    “Alright. ” Mike got to his feet and picked up both their empty mugs. “Go kick my ass some more and I’m gonna get us refills. You want more onion rings?” He grinned. “Since you ate all of mine.”
    “Yes, please.”
     
    **
     
    Reality descended in the parking lot. Delta snatched the halves of her coat together against the bite of the late November wind and felt the first prick of guilt. Greg had called her twice at the bowling alley and she hadn’t taken either of them. What was she doing? Greg was more or less her boyfriend, and here she was out with…
    She glanced sideways at Mike as they stood on the curb. Even in heels, she would have to stand on her tiptoes to slide her arms around his neck. Which she was not thinking about.
    …the most obnoxious blonde doofus ever. She sighed and Mike glanced down at her.
    “You cold?”
    “Yes.” Which wasn’t really a lie.
    He had his hands in the pockets of his awful brown bomber jacket; the thing was worn and cracked in places. Delta had a fleeting wonder if it