“I agree with you on the food and the driving.” Why she considered it the best decision she'd made wasn't any of his business. The sound of a car pulling into his driveway stopped him from opening his big trap and asking her regardless. “Sounds like the pizzas are here. I'll be right back.”
* * *
Not for the first time,she studied his retreating form. Or, more specifically, his ass. The man clearly did a lot of squats and deadlifts.
Before she could stop it, an image of him naked formed. While it might not be 100 percent accurate, she had perfect eyesight, and Duncan did more than sit behind a desk all day and stare at a computer screen.
Bad idea. Yep, she shouldn't imagine Duncan naked. But she was.
“Feel free to start without me. I'll be right back.” Duncan set down the takeout order and headed into the house.
This time, she successfully kept her eyes on the fire rather than follow him. By the time he returned with wine and two glasses, she'd removed the tantalizing image of Duncan minus his clothes from her head. Unfortunately, she suspected it would return sooner than later.
“What's your final verdict on the island?” Duncan asked as he handed her a glass. “And if you say you like Martha's Vineyard better, you'll have to find yourself another date for the wedding,” he added before she could swallow her mouthful of pizza and answer.
“I definitely don't like Martha's Vineyard better.” Tory fought the smile wanting to break free. “But Block Island is another story.”
Duncan lowered his glass away from his mouth. “You like Block Island better? That's like a person saying they prefer a Ford Pinto to a Chevy Corvette.”
She had no idea what a Ford Pinto looked like, but the name had her envisioning one ugly car.
“If you're serious, I don't think I can even be your friend, never mind your fake boyfriend.”
Duncan would never be as close a friend as Leah, but Tory valued the friendship developing between them. And even though she knew he was teasing, a wave of sadness washed over her at the thought of them no longer being friends.
“Relax. I'm kidding.” Tory's hand covered his before she realized her intention. “I've never even been to Block Island. But I see why you love it here so much, and sometime this summer, I want to come back and see more of the island.”
“Our friendship is safe for now.” Duncan raised his glass again and took a sip.
Somewhat mesmerized, Tory watched the flames dance and smoke rise into the night sky for the next few minutes as they ate in silence.
“I've never sat outside by a fire like this.” She placed her empty paper plate on the table rather than get another slice of pizza. They'd bought ice cream on the way back, and it was waiting for them in the freezer.
“Never?” The way Duncan said the word, one might think she'd told him she'd never experienced a thunderstorm.
“A firepit like this wouldn't exactly fit in the yards at any of my parents' estates.” Even if it did, neither of her parents would ever use it. She doubted either even knew how to start a fire.
“You never went camping when you were younger?”
“My family isn't the camping type. Mom considers a hotel without a full-service spa roughing it.” She liked her creature comforts too. However, what Tory considered a necessity and what Mom did were vastly different. “Dad isn't much better.”
Tory glanced at him in time to catch Duncan's smile. “We camped all the time. Mom and Dad still go camping a few times a year. You don't know what you're missing.”
She understood the appeal of sitting by a fire like this but saw nothing enjoyable about sleeping on the ground in a tent. “I'll take your word for it. I don't need a hotel with a spa, but I don't want to sleep on the ground either and get wet if it rains or attacked by mosquitoes.”
“Sometimes I'd sleep outside in a tent to get away from my sister, but we had a camper. It even had a television, although Mom and Dad never let my sister and I use it. Not even when it rained; instead, we'd play board games or cards.”
That sounded much better than in a tent on the ground. “That kind of camping I think I could handle.”
Especially if you were with me.
She shouldn't be entertaining thoughts like that. But what you shouldn't do and what you did weren't always the same.
“There are plenty of campgrounds in New England. Several have campers on-site that you can use. Some have small rustic cabins you can stay in too. Usually, they have electricity but not a bathroom. At a few campgrounds, they even have small, hotel-room-sized refrigerators. So if you ever want to try camping, I can give you a list of places.” Standing, Duncan stacked the pizza boxes. “Do you want more wine, or are you ready to try the best ice cream in the world?”
“Ice cream.”
Tory almost got up and followed him inside the house. But instead, she watched the fire and reminded herself she needed his help. If she kissed him tonight, he might back out of their agreement.