Page 71 of Playing Mr. Perfect

I always have work to do, but he came all this way to see me, and I want to spend more time with him. I consider going up to get the roses but decide to leave them there so I can see them tomorrow. “No.”

“Then I’ll walk you to your car.”

“It’s not here. I don’t like driving at night, so I usually walk to work.”

“Really? What bothers you about driving at night?”

“Nothing in particular. I’ve never liked it, and I only live a few blocks away.”

His brows knit. “What do you do when it snows?”

“I wear boots.”

He laughs and looks around. “Is it safe to walk alone at night here?”

“I wouldn’t do it if it weren’t.”

“Okay, Pep. What are we dealing with here? Does riding in other people’s cars at night bother you?”

“Not at all.”

“Well, then, Dr. Montgomery, may I drive you home?” He offers his arm.

“I’d like that very much, Mr. Braden.” I take his arm, and he leads me toward a black Land Rover.

“This is a great location. I noticed your company name isn’t on the directory, and you don’t have a sign in your reception area. Did you just move in?”

You really do notice every little thing.

“No, we’ve been here for a while. I’ll get a sign for the reception area eventually. I was sort of dropped and running when we moved in and just haven’t gotten back to looking for one. As far as the directory goes, I got tired of hounding the property manager to get my company name on it. But it’s not that big a deal. We don’t get many visitors. Did you have trouble finding my suite?”

“Not really. I just went door to door asking if anyone knew where I could find the hot scientist I slept with in Paris.”

I laugh and climb into his Land Rover. It’s clean and luxurious, and it smells like leather and Clay. I give him directions, and a few minutes later we’re parked in front of my cozy two-bedroom historic home.

He helps me out of the vehicle and puts a hand on my back as we head up to the front porch. “This is cute. I like the yellow.”

“Thanks. I would’ve preferred more land, but housing is expensive here, and there’s no place with land in walking distance to the office.” The neighboring houses are not much more than a car width away, and my backyard is tiny. My nerves prickle as we ascend the porch steps, and I focus on unlocking the door instead of on how much I want to kiss him. “I’m lucky to have found this place. The alternative was a condo. They don’t have many windows, and there’s no yard. I would feel like I was living at work.” I realize I’m rambling and make myself stop.

“Am I making you nervous?”

I put my keys in my bag and face him. “Is it that obvious?”

“Adorably so.” He puts his arms around me and kisses my forehead. “I enjoyed getting to know your friends and spending time with you. Thanks for fitting me in.”

“Thank you for driving all this way even though I told you I was too busy to see you, and for bringing me flowers and paying for everyone’s dinner.”

“I’d pay for dinner for everyone in this town if it meant I got to spend time with you.” He kisses me softly. “I’ve missed your lips.” His mouth finds mine again, lingering longer, kissing me deeper. He draws away slowly, whispering, “So sweet, Reckless,” and kisses me more demandingly. God, I’ve missed kissing him. Desire builds hot and insistent inside me. I go up on my toes, taking more. He tightens his hold on me, making a greedy sound that steals my ability to think. I cling to him, feeling like a champagne bottle ready to pop, and grind against his erection. Without breaking our connection, I reach for the doorknob, ready to drag him inside, but he tears his mouth away.

A needy sound rushes from my lungs.

He smiles, his lips too far away as he says, “Good night, beautiful.”

It takes me a second to realize he’s descending the porch steps. “You’re leaving?”

“Yeah.” He hikes a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to stay at my place.”

“You have a place?” I have definitely entered an alternate reality.