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He chuckled, the warm, deep sound affecting her body way too intimately, as did the way his eyes made a much slower, more deliberate perusal of her figure. She was dressed in an oversized pale pink sweatshirt that reached her thighs and black leggings, which she’d worn for comfort since it was such a long flight, but her nipples were not immune to that visual caress and responded accordingly and without her permission . . . and yes, he noticed.
“You can’t deny that your hands were rubbing all over the fly of my jeans,” he said, his voice amused as he shared that recollection.
Her face was on fire. “I was making sure that you were okay!”
In her defense, she’d been a tad bit eager after hearing him call her name. She’d been so excited that he’d sought her out after class that she’d whirled around so quickly that her book bag had smacked him in the groin—because she was less than graceful and a little clumsy and that’s just how things seemed to work out for her. When he’d bent over in shock and agony while cupping his family jewels, she’d leapt forward to stabilize him . . . but instead she’d tripped them both up to the point that they’d tumbled to the ground, with her sprawled on top of him.
And yes, once she’d straddled his thighs, her hands had pressed and gently prodded against his crotch in a panic—she swore it had been an automatic and instinctive response, though if she’d been thinking logically, she would have realized it was highly unlikely she could have broken his dick…until he’d groaned—from pain or pleasure, she wasn’t quite sure which—and grabbed her wrists and yanked her hands away. That’s when mortification had set in, and when she’d looked up into his eyes and seen how feverish and dark they were, not with pain but with heated awareness, her entire body went soft and lax on top of him.
He’d recovered from that moment much quicker than she had and promptly put an end to their compromising position, but the incident had left her shaken, much too aroused, and unable to forget that brief connection between them.
“I’m just messing with you, Pixie,” he said lightly, taking pity on her obvious embarrassment, even after all these years. “You’re still just as adorable as you were back in college.”
He’d given her the nickname Pixie during one of their lab assignments, mostly to tease her for being much smaller than him, and she was surprised he remembered that, too. “I’d like to think I’ve grown and matured from cute and adorable over the past few years.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being cute and adorable,” he said, his voice warm and sincere as he reached out to gently tug on a wavy strand of hair. “Though I have to say I love the new haircut and style. It’s kind of sexy.”
Her stomach tumbled with pleasure at his compliment and the fact that he was touching her, if only her hair. “Kind of sexy” was at least an improvement from adorable. “Thank you.”
He tipped his head to the side, regarding her more curiously now. “So, is there a reason you called my company and insisted on having me, specifically, pick you up from the airport?”
“Yes, there’s definitely a reason.” She exhaled a deep breath, shifting on her sneakered feet as travelers continued to weave around them. “And it’s kind of a long and complicated explanation and requires that you not only have a really good sense of humor, which you seem to still have, but hopefully an open mind about helping out an old friend.”
“Okay.” Intrigue infused his deep, masculine voice. “You have my attention.”
His interest was better than an outright rejection, which she was grateful for, but standing in the middle of the airport wasn’t where she wanted to have this conversation. “So, are you free for the next few hours to go somewhere for dinner and to talk?”
“Sure. I’m open for the rest of the night,” he told her as he took the handle of her bags for her. “Where would you like to go?”
She gave him a rueful smile. “Preferably somewhere that serves strong drinks, because I’m going to need one before I proposition you.”
Chapter Two
Ahhh, Peyton Bishop, Leo mused as he led the way to the Escalade in the cool, spring evening air. Sweet, amusing, and yes, cute. He hadn’t made the connection at the office because it had been years since he’d seen her, but as soon as recognition hit, all those past memories of their short time together in chemistry came flooding back. She’d been the reason he’d actually enjoyed the class and looked forward to lab. Because they’d worked well together—even if she was a bit clumsy and awkward—and she never failed to make him laugh. She was one of the few girls he’d met in college who’d been guileless and real.
Amanda Rockwell, the girl he’d intended to marry and spend his life with, had been another. Yet the two women couldn’t have been more opposite and different, in looks and personality. Whereas Amanda had been sophisticated and refined and all Southern Belle, Peyton had been gregarious, unassuming, and so fucking adorable he always seemed to have a perma-grin around her.
But he’d been in a committed relationship, and as much as he’d liked Peyton and had even been attracted to her, he was a one-woman kind of guy and didn’t play the field like a lot of his friends did
. And he’d been so certain that Amanda was the one . . . until she’d blindsided him by calling off their wedding right before the ceremony, essentially putting a knife through his heart and leaving him to question what he’d done wrong . . . and why he hadn’t been enough for her.
Nearly two years had passed since that day, and while the pain of her rejection had dulled, it definitely had made him cautious with women, his emotions, and his heart—which had essentially gone on strike after Amanda. For the most part, he found it much easier to pour all his time and energy into his company, rather than indulging in a string of meaningless dates or hookups.
As they neared the vehicle, he cast a sidelong glance at Peyton, who seemed preoccupied and even a little nervous about whatever this proposition of hers was. Leo was dying to know the details, but it wasn’t as though he had anything else to do tonight, and extending his time with her over dinner appealed to him.
More honestly, she appealed to him, as did the way she’d blushed so uncontrollably when he’d mentioned that day on campus, when he’d only meant to get her attention so he could ask for a copy of her notes for the chemistry finals the following week. Instead, he’d ended up with more than he’d bargained for, with her busting his balls—literally—and then tripping them both up so that he’d ended flat on his back with her squirming on top of him.
That wasn’t even the worst part of it . . . No, it had been her hands and fingers fluttering along his dick that had the initial pain in his groin morphing into an inappropriate meet and greet. He’d never cheat on Amanda, but hell, it had been difficult to remain indifferent to being straddled by Peyton’s lean, toned thighs, knowing that his jeans and only a thin pair of panties beneath her skirt were the only things keeping them from doing something really dirty.
Even after he’d jerked her hands away, it had taken her a few moments to realize that he’d sprouted a boner because of all her touching—that’s how artless she’d truly been, with her wide eyes and flustered expression. He smiled at the priceless memory, knowing things might have ended up much differently with him and Peyton if he’d been single . . . but he hadn’t been available, so the point had been moot. And besides, he’d truly been in love with Amanda, and although another girl had piqued his dick’s interest because she’d been fondling him, he did have some self-control.
Arriving at the Escalade, he hit the unlock button on his key fob, then opened the passenger-side door for her to get inside.
She arched a brow at him. “Do all your customers sit up front with you?”
“No, not usually,” he said, a smile quirking the corner of his mouth. “But you’re not a normal customer, either. You’re a woman about to proposition me.”
“True.” She grinned back at him with a bit of the sass he’d enjoyed in chemistry. “But I am a paying customer, so I just thought you’d put me in the back seat.”
