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“Anyway, it’s sweet you brought dessert.”
“Cherry pie with lattice crust, and that shit isn’t super easy to make, so you’d better eat it.”
He gave a slow smile. “I’ll eat your pie.”
She could feel herself blush from her head to her toes.
“Crap. It’s way too easy to forget you’re James’s sister.” He leaned back against the wall and stroked his jaw. “You know, if you could wrap some of that yellow CAUTION: KEEP OUT tape around your lower half—make a skirt out of it—that might help me remember.”
That made her laugh. “Oh sure, I’ll grab some of that at the Walgreens on the way home. Maybe put on a barbed-wire bra or something, too.”
Their gazes held, and the atmosphere between them sizzled in a playful, easy, and comfortable way. The attraction between them never left—and was becoming harder to deny—no matter how hard they wanted to.
“I wish things were different, Kristen,” he said softly as he teased a strand of her hair. “You look so damn hot right now.”
Her pulse jumped. “Are you serious?”
She was hardly dressed to seduce. She glanced down at her outfit. Jeans, boots, and a knit sweater because it was cooler today. Her hair was loose and brushed, and her makeup was minimal.
“Yeah. That dress last night was sexy and all, but it didn’t feel like you.” He looked her over. “This fits you.”
“You barely know me.”
“I feel like I know you better than you realize.” He shrugged. “And I think you’re sexier looking like this than in that dress.”
“You have got to stop saying those kinds of things.” She swallowed hard. “Unless…”
No, he just had to stop. Because there was no unless. So why had she come? This was never going to happen, no matter how much she flirted. He wouldn’t change his mind about sleeping with her. His moral code was too rigid.
“I’ll try and tone it down,” he promised.
“Maybe I should just grab my shoes from your truck and go.”
“Stay for dinner. We’ve got plenty. I even cooked.”
He seemed awfully proud of that fact, too, with his lifted chin and smug look.
“Don’t you guys, like, all donate money to the food fund or something?”
“Yeah, but nobody’s going to get upset about having a cute chick join us for dinner.”
“Super sexist comment. Good thing you’re hot.”
“And she returns fire with a sexist comment of her own.” His slow grin had her heart tripping. “Not that I’m going to object to being called hot.”
“Hey, Blake. Where’s the guac?”
Kristen quickly stepped away from Blake as another firefighter came out of the kitchen and into the hall.
It was the guy from earlier who’d first told her to stay for dinner.
“Side of the fridge in the plastic container,” Blake called out. “Made it earlier and ran out of space.”
“Thanks.” The man hesitated and glanced at her. “Hey, I’m Reggie.”
“Kristen.” She stuck her hand to shake his.
He had large hands with a friendly, confident shake. “Nice to meet you, Kristen.”
