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If he could be cool, so could she.
* * *
Ryder clenched the steering wheel and tried to think about baseball, puppies, and grandmothers. He had his plan and he needed to stick to it.
All week had been hell. Hell every time he treated her like a business associate. Hell every time he saw her in the backyard. All he wanted was to follow her inside and throw her across the kitchen table.
But he hadn’t done that—because he wanted her to ache for him. He wanted her lying in bed, the covers twisted around her legs, restless.
Tonight he needed to show her she didn’t want to be friends, didn’t want to be just neighbors. And the only way he could think to do that was to show her exactly what being just neighbors looked like. To drive her right out of her mind with friendliness.
So it didn’t matter if she looked spectacular.
It didn’t matter how her legs looked in her dress.
Or how he wanted to wrap her thighs around his hips.
He gripped the gearshift tighter.
He would not slip his hands up her skirt and into her panties.
At least, not yet.
She moved restlessly in the seat.
“Is everything okay?” He kept his voice innocent.
“Everything is great.” She shot him a scowl before her expression cleared. “I’m looking forward to my first night out in Revival.”
“Rock’s is an institution.”
She laughed, a little too high pitched. “You’re forgetting I live in Chicago, I have Gibsons and the Chop House.”
But Chicago didn’t have him. “You’ll have to judge for yourself if it meets your standards.”
She frowned. “Aren’t you going to try and convince me it’s better?”
“Nope.” He wasn’t going to engage her in any arguments at all.
Her brows furrowed deeper. “All right.”
He pulled into the parking lot and found a spot before turning off the car. He took the keys from the ignition. “Ready for your big date?”
“Yep.” Her chin tilted in defiance. “You?”
“Yep.” Just as she was about to get out of the car, he grabbed her wrist.
She sucked in a breath. “What?”
He gave her his most winning smirk. “Try not to break Bill’s heart.”
He let her go and she jerked her arm away, huffing as she got out of the car and slammed the door.
Oh, this plan was working.
He smiled at her retreating form, shoulders all straight and thrown back in defiance.
Excellent.
