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“Here, I don’t want to worry about you being cold while we’re here. There’s almost no sunlight under all these trees.”
“Thanks,” I said, slipping my arms inside his coat. It smelled like him, crisp apples and peppermint, and I resisted the urge to pull the collar against my nose so I could take another hit.
“And I called it on the pocket square, didn’t I? I knew it’d be the only color you had on.” I tapped the red pop of color peeking out from his vest pocket. He rolled his eyes and shut the car door, taking the tablet as he walked toward the front of the house.
“That predictable, am I?”
“Let’s walk around the house first, please, and you can tell me about this favor,” I said, pulling on his sleeve and leading him around the walkway and behind the garage. I wanted to look at the landscaping and dock before we went inside. “And it’s hard for you to be predictable when we barely know each other, so let’s call it a lucky guess.”
He finally removed his sunglasses and leaned closer. One side of his mouth ticked up in the slightest grin as he slipped them into his left jacket pocket. I pretended not to notice how his grin lit up those gray eyes, and took the tablet from him to open the notes app and jot down a few ideas.
“So this favor,” he said, clearing his throat and kicking a pinecone. He blew out a breath, walking along the path until we came to the edge of the dock. The boards looked worn and in desperate need of an upgrade, and I quickly scribbled that down before giving him my full attention.
“I’m doing some good publicity to help deal with that article—”
“Smart idea,” I said, nodding and adjusting his sports coat higher on my shoulders. “Instead of hiding or fighting back, draw attention to something positive.”
My fingers flew across the screen with ideas to improve my image and the offices. There were so many possibilities, and I had Simon to thank. “I’m not sure if you remember, but yesterday at Sweeter Things—”
“I remember everything you said yesterday, Addison.”
I felt the texture of his voice vibrate against my skin. The way my name caressed his lips painted a picture of him sipping a dry gin martini and enjoying the liquor burn his throat as he swallowed. Those three syllables were my undoing, making the surrounding air too warm and the fine hairs on my arms prickle with awareness. My hands ached with the need to reach out and touch. Touch any part of him.
I swallowed and put one hand on my chest, feeling the rapid beat against my ribcage. Simon’s eyes moved between my lips and hand, waiting to say something, or maybe waiting for me. Those gray eyes burned into mine, and I couldn’t stand another second of the silence hanging over us. His pink tongue darted between full lips, and he licked them with agonizing slowness. It was like I was being tortured, and whatever I meant to say died as he spoke.
“This is a good start, but if you’re looking to make the landscaping pop and draw the eyes away from the dock, you need to step it up.”
His hand covered mine, and he pulled the tablet away, adjusting the notes and scribbles I’d taken. It was another rare moment his shields were down. The permanent line between his brows softened as his fingers moved, his tongue stuck between his teeth. As I stood there and watched him work, I felt something other than panic for the first time since I saw our picture in the newspaper. I felt hope.
