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Justin chuckled. “Never trust a woman in a—”
“Hey,” she protested. “It’s not my fault they didn’t believe me.”
“She’s right.” The foreman handed over the money. When she hesitated, he pushed it into her hand. “You won fair and square, and I always make good on a bet.”
Justin led her back to the Jeep after she’d thanked the men with a disarming smile. He knew she wasn’t flirting with any of them, but the looks they directed toward her awakened his little green monster again.
Digging his keys from his pocket, he said casually, “That reminds me, now that you work for me again, I still owe you a dinner.”
She paused with the passenger door open. “That’s right, you do.”
Lifting a brow, he asked, “So how about it—or was your heart set on that bath?” That hot, steamy, sexy bubble bath he wanted to—
“Hmm, a relaxing bath in my whirlpool tub with mounds of bubbles, scented candles, and some music, or…dinner with you.” She tilted her head with a teasing smile that heated his blood.
“No fair,” he accused. “When you put it that way, I want the bath.” With you. He slid behind the wheel before his imagination took off at full speed.
She laughed as she climbed into the Jeep. “Dinner sounds good, because then I don’t have to cook, and I won’t be hungry while I’m soaking in the tub later.”
Yeah, but he would be.
****
Justin looked at what was left of Marley’s double fudge brownie sundae. Melted ice cream, spoon tracks in the fudge puddle the treat had sat in, and a smear of whipped cream on the edge of the plate.
“That,” she said with a sigh, “was heaven.”
He leaned forward to inspect her plate. “You missed a few crumbs.”
She scraped the spoon across the fudge one last time and licked the chocolate off with a smile. “Everything was so good.”
He couldn’t remember what he ate, much less if it tasted good. Between his increased blood pressure watching her eat that dessert and the repeated mantra in his head as to why he couldn’t pursue her, he was ready to explode.
“You picked it,” he reminded, referring to the restaurant.
“It’s my first time here, though after tonight, I’ll be back again.”
He agreed. The waitress returned with his receipt, and he rose to pull back Marley’s chair. The look she gave him held an echo of her expression earlier, when he’d come around to open her car door, held the restaurant door open, pushed her chair in and rose when she went to the restroom.
He had the distinct impression she wasn’t used to men treating her like a lady. Her reactions also made him wonder if she even liked it, but as she hadn’t demanded he stop yet, he figured he’d carry through.
They spoke little on the way to her house, and he noticed she had her eyes closed most of the way. He knew she wasn’t sleeping though, because her fingers drummed against her thigh and her breathing wasn’t the even cadence of someone resting peacefully.
After parking in the empty driveway, he opened her door again and followed her up the stairs onto the porch. He told himself he was only doing the gentlemanly thing, making sure her house was safe before leaving her alone. But as she fit the key in the lock, he had to clench his hands at his sides to keep from turning her around into his arms.
“You know...Nate’s not home. Would you like to come in?”
She said it to the door, then turned to meet his gaze. Would he like to? Oh, yeah. Should he? Hell no.
“I’ll make some coffee, or if you’d prefer a beer…”
He’d prefer her. Right here, right now. The force of that thought sent him back a step. He cleared his throat. “I really should get going.”
He began to leave before he changed his mind.
“Is it me?”
Her question stopped him in his tracks. He turned to find her glaring at him, hands on her hips. The suit jacket she’d worn all day parted, and he now had an unobstructed view of her thin, white tee shirt underneath. It was suddenly very clear why she’d kept the jacket on, even in the heat of the afternoon when he’d left his suit coat in the Jeep. And thank God she’d left it on while drilling holes in the studs at the job site.
