“Ah.” Kate smiled then looked at my manhandler. “Mrs. Ross. It’s been a while. How have you been?”
Mrs. Rossfinally let go of my arm. “Oh, you know me, I keep on keeping on.” There was a pause. Her gaze burned a hole in the side of my head. “I was having a chat with your fella. He seems nice.” She leanedtoward Kate and whisper-shouted, “Strong muscles and big, bigcapablehands.”
Kate’s cheeks flushed. “I’m sure they are.”
I’ll show you exactly how capable.
What? Fuck, no... That was the last thought my mind should’ve been conjuring up. Maybe this dinner—this whole damn arrangement—with Kate wasn’t such a great idea after all.
Chapter eight
Kate
Kill.
Me.
Now.
Of course, Mrs. Ross would be wandering the halls at the exact time Tristan showed up. And of course, she’d make a comment about his big, capable hands. And of freaking course my attention would now be drawn to said big, capable hands.
I could honestly say up until that moment I’d never looked at a man’s hands and thought,Oh, those are nice. But as my gaze traveled over Tristan’s long fingers, those were the exact words floating around in my mind.
And it was all Mrs. Ross’s fault.
“Anyhoo,” the devil herself pulled me from my thoughts. “I’ll leave you two to it. Do absolutely everything I wouldn’t do.” Yet again, she leaned in. “FYI, I don’t sleep with my hearing aids, dear; noise doesn’t bother me at all.”
Shewinked. Tristan choked.
And I simply stood there praying for the ground to open and swallow me.
It wasn’t until Mrs. Ross’s door clicked shut that I snapped back to reality. “You should come in.”
One corner of his mouth lifted. “That’d be nice. Unless there are more scary little old ladies who’d like to feel me up.”
“Oh, this is good.” I laughed and moved aside to allow him entry. “Mr. Big-shot attorney is afraid of grannies. Don’t worry.” I put my palm over my heart. “Your secret is safe with me.”
He stopped in front of me. “Good to know. I trust you to keep all my secrets.” His tongue darted out of his mouth as his gaze traveled the length of me. I didn’t know why, but my heart almost gave out at his slow perusal. “You look...pretty.”
Those words coming from him shouldn’t have sent a delicious shiver down my spine. And it absolutely shouldn’t have had my pulse skittering.
Ignoring my body’s strange reaction, I raised a brow. “No need for flattery. Tonight—and any other night—is not about getting into my panties. You can reserve your compliments for one of yourspecial friends.”
Gaze darkening, he inched closer. “A bit forward to be talking about panties on a first date… How am I supposed to focus on food now?” He narrowed his eyes. “Or maybe that’s your plan? Get me so twisted in thoughts of your underwear that I pay no attention to the burnt offerings you intend on feeding me.”
“You caught me. I’m a terrible cook.”
“I doubt that.” Our gazes met and held. “And the compliment wasn’t for show, Kate. You look beautiful.”
My poor, poor heart almost leapt from my chest. “Thank—”
“Kate?”
At Millie’s voice, I jerked like I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t have. Standing in the entryway to the small foyer, her confused gaze bounced between me and Tristan.
“Is this your friend?” she asked in a faint voice.
She was nervous. She always was when meeting new people. I’d given her the heads-up this morning, asked if it’d be okay if I invited a friend, who happened to be a boy, over for dinner.
