He shouldn’t have been surprised by anything Reese said, but he still felt his mouth flapping in the breeze. Then answering. “Uh, five months.”
Which right now felt like five hundred years. The stupid teasing robe was gaping at the chest again, and he saw the rise of her left breast. Flannel pajamas, his ass.
EIGHT
Reese felt a surge of triumph.Listening to his wasted-time marriage woes, she’d been afraid she was actually going to have to admit defeat. “Hah! I’ve definitely got you beat. It’s beenfourteenmonths since I’ve had sex!”
It came to her a split second later that maybe that wasn’t something she should be bragging about.
But she’d suck it up for the sake of winning.
Only he didn’t look impressed. “Yeah, but you forgot about my ulcer, plus I’m ten years older than you. I think that makes us even.”
She was about to argue, just on principle, when he spoke again in a voice that made her wish she was still sitting with her legs crossed. Tightly.
He sat there, legs straight out in front of him, arms across his chest as he flicked his gaze over her. “Besides, I’m sure you’ve had plenty of opportunities.”
Yeah, they were just dropping at her feet left and right, begging for it. Please. The only men interested in getting their hands on her were her boss and the eighteen-year-old guy who worked the register at her grocery store.
“Not a one.”
“I have a hard time believing that.”
“You want to bet?” Her social life was nonexistent. Women in nursing homes got more action than she did.
“We haven’t settled our first bet, I’m not entering another one.”
Reese paced back and forth, slowly, next to the table. She lifted her hair off her shoulders and tossed it back. It was still damp and heavy, and she knew it was probably doing a Chia Pet imitation.
Knight was right. They were running about head to head in the Whose Life Sucks Royally competition. There was only one thing to do.
“Let’s arm wrestle.”
His relaxed slouch disappeared. He gaped at her. “What?”
“Yeah. It’s a great idea. That’s the way my brothers and I always decided a tie.”
“Reese.” He shook his head. “It would be pointless because there’s no way you can beat me.”
Typical male arrogance. “You think so?”
Yes, obviously. Gross. He was flexing his muscles and she suspected he wasn’t even aware he was doing it. He just squeezed his wrists and popped out his elbows as he studied her, certain of his strength superiority.
“You can’t beat me.”
“You’re ten years older than me,” she taunted, enjoying the sudden irritated flare to his nostrils. “And that chicken wing ought to be kicking your ulcer in gear right about now.”
With an expression of disgust, he shoved their dirty dishes to the very edge of the table and slapped his elbow down. “Alright. Give it your best shot, tough girl.”
Reese sauntered over to the table, planning her strategy. It was true there was probably no way she could beat him on strength alone. Especially since she hadn’t seen the insideof a gym…ever. But it wasn’t hopeless or she wouldn’t have suggested it.
As a kid, she had always provoked her brothers during the match by making faces at them. Ryan had laughed and lost his grip on her hand every single time, allowing her to take advantage and win. Riley had run about fifty-fifty, and with Rick, her oldest brother, she had soon learned not to challenge him at all. He had never even blinked.
Sticking her tongue up into her nostril was probably out of the question in front of Knight, but the theory still applied. She just needed a different tactic.
One that didn’t require her to taste snot.
Rolling up the sleeve of her robe, she eyed him.