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“Having a job is a commendable trait,” Griffin remarked between bites of broccoli and beef. “Let’s try a more entertaining subject. What would you do if you won the lottery?”
“That’s easy—I’d buy our building from you.”
“It’s not for sale. What else would you do?”
Darcy paused to consider some choices and frowned slightly as she voiced them. “It bothers me that families with small children are homeless. With low-cost housing disappearing, things are only going to get worse, so I’d give the money to Habitat for Humanity.”
Griffin stared at her a long moment. “Nothing for yourself?”
Darcy scooped out a second helping of walnut shrimp. “All I want is your building. Now what would you do with the lottery loot?”
“I’d help keep music in the schools with VH1’s Save the Music.”
“You watch VH1?” Darcy was shocked to learn he was a fan of the popular cable station.
“I’m not a total nerd,” Griffin protested.
Darcy licked her fingers, then caught him watching her a bit too intently and used her napkin instead. “I never said you were.”
“True, but I’m sure you’ve called me a lot worse names, and frankly, I’ll admit to having a few faults.”
“No! I never would have guessed. Oh, I have your sketches ready. I could run back to my office and get them when we finish.”
“Don’t bother. Just bring them by in the morning.”
“Sure,” Darcy agreed, but now that she’d taken the edge off her hunger, it was difficult to concentrate on the last of her dinner. It was a delicious surprise, but seeing him was even better. She had a terrible weakness where he was concerned and held the uncomfortable suspicion that he knew it.
Still, she would be a fool to get attached to him when he would surely wake up soon to the fact that she earned her living hauling plants around in a battered truck, while he was accustomed to being wined and dined by royalty.
“Your frown worries me,” Griffin remarked. “If you have other plans for the morning, just say so.”
Darcy speared a crisp piece of broccoli, but didn’t guide it toward her mouth. “No, I can come by around nine.”
“Well, if it’s not a scheduling conflict, what’s wrong?”
Darcy laid her fork across her plate and sat back in her chair. She was reluctant to broadcast her insecurities, but she didn’t feel right remaining silent about her misgivings either.
She took a comforting sip of tea and answered as truthfully as she dared. “I’m afraid our lives are too different for us to ever have anything serious, and I’d rather not be your flavor of the month.”
“What makes you think you’d last a month?” Griffin shot right back at her.
Appalled by that arrogant rebuff, Darcy came out of her chair to point him toward the door, but he easily caught her arm and pulled her down on his lap. She struggled to rise, but she lacked even a quarter of his strength and couldn’t break free.
“Let me go, you bastard!”
Griffin nuzzled her ear. “I was teasing you, sweetheart. I don’t treat women like scoops of ice cream, and the truth is, they usually leave me, not the other way around.”
“Liar,” Darcy insisted through clenched teeth. “You just gave me a sample of your vicious wit, and I’ll bet you use it whenever you tire of a woman. She’d be as insulted as I am right now and leave you. Then I’ll bet you sit back and congratulate yourself on not having to face a messy breakup.”
Griffin slid his lips to the tender hollow behind her ear. “Where do you get this stuff? I’m not into causing pain just to watch women cry.”
He dropped his voice to a husky whisper as his lips again grazed her skin. “I love your perfume. When you take the trouble to smell this good, it’s difficult to believe y
ou don’t care about me. What’s it called?”
“It’s just something I whipped up in the kitchen,” Darcy replied smugly. She wasn’t certain how she’d gone from being livid with his lip to snuggling against him, but with his incredible charm, none of her usual defenses proved effective.
“Whatever it is, it suits you.” He pressed her close, then relaxed slightly, but not enough to allow her to escape him.
