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“Could you imagine me in a sequined royal blue gown while running the vacuum?”
She’d moved to reclaim her knife, but he reached over and took her hand before she could. When he had her full attention, he said, “I can imagine you lots of ways. It’s about time you started doing the same.”
Her fingers flinched in his and the air around them charged with sharp sexual energy. He felt it as sure as the chair under his ass. She must have, too. The levity from earlier was gone, replaced by something far more potent. And really welcome.
He released her hand and moved on to more innocuous topics while they finished their dinners. When the waiter brought by the dessert tray, Hallie politely refused. Gavin did not.
“Have a bite,” he said when a tall slice of layered chocolate cake was set between them.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” There seemed to be a lot of things Hallie “couldn’t” do. Like kiss him in his closet when Ruby was in the other room, or eat dessert, or wear dresses she wanted to wear. He didn’t like the way she limited herself. He wanted her to let loose, especially with him.
“I’m stuffed.”
“You barely ate half your steak. You still have wine in your glass. I insist.” He spooned up a bite of cake and held it toward her mouth. She quirked her lips in a show of doubt. He waggled the spoon. “I can do this all day.”
She rolled her eyes but gave in, leaning forward and opening her mouth. He fed her the cake, and she closed her eyes and hummed low in her throat. He froze watching the display, the spoon hovering in midair. When she darted her tongue out to lick her lips, he felt it in places much lower than his gut.
Because, damn.
“You know.” She dabbed her mouth with the napkin, her tone far too light for the intensity weighing down his chest. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring home the red sports car. Are you more attached to your truck than you care to admit?”
“I don’t become attached. It’s my superpower.” His glib answer earned a subtle nod from Hallie, but not one of agreement.
“You drove that red race car like you loved it. And yet we left in the same charcoal-gray truck we arrived in.”
Yeah, well, he’d been too distracted by the kiss she’d laid on his mouth to trust himself with a decision as big as buying a car. He didn’t have an issue with paying sticker for a brand-new vehicle, even one as expensive as that one, but he refused to sign on the dotted line when he wasn’t in possession of his faculties.
“I’m not saying this because I think you should buy it,” she added, though he suddenly felt properly challenged to do just that first thing tomorrow morning. “I’m saying it because you really enjoyed driving that car. Likewise, your home should reflect all sides of you. The neat, meticulous, though moderately unorganized side.” She winked at him and he found he liked this confident side of her most. “And the side that lets loose to enjoy something just because.”
Meaning enjoying something without weighing the future, or what might happen if he gave in? Because that’s the direction his mind had gone.
“So you approve of letting loose in my house?” he asked, his voice a low rumble.
“Decoratively speaking.” She blushed, but he guessed she knew exactly what he’d been getting at. “Don’t be alarmed when you tour your rooms and find a rare, vibrant punch of color every so often. I might’ve chosen focal points simply because they’re unexpected. Each room should feel as exciting as when you were handed the keys to that shiny red sports car.”
Her shoulders had pulled back while she was speaking, her eyes glinting in the candlelight. She was proud of herself and hell, she should be. She had described him almost better than he could have described himself.
“You’re incredible,” he murmured.
“Just observant.” Her eyes dashed away.
“Incredibly observant,” he amended, reaching for her hand again. She accepted the compliment without argument this time.
He ate a bite of the decadent cake. “Damn. That is good.” He licked the spoon, noticing when Hallie noticed him do it. He was so glad he’d asked her out—glad he’d spent time with her outside of work. She was not only smart and professional, but interesting and beautiful. A quadruple threat.
Normally, he preferred a clearly marked boundary line between his private life and the women in it. He wasn’t a manwhore or anything, but he tended to keep the company of the same woman to a minimum. And that never included a woman accompanying him car shopping or choosing his window treatments.
Familiarity might explain his comfort level with Hallie, but it sure didn’t explain the punch of attraction that nearly TKO’d him. She was easy to talk to, fun to hang out with, and she intrigued the hell out of him. Why did she have a closet full of clothes she refused to wear? Why had she avoided him like the bubonic plague until now? And why was she suddenly interested in breaking rules when she was clearly more comfortable walking the line?
He couldn’t remember being interested in more than the present moment with the women he’d previously dated. They’d discussed dinner plans and current events. Sometimes work. But he couldn’t recall staring at the ceiling for hours replaying a kiss that never led to more.
He ate another big bite of cake. He’d thought he lived his life to the fullest in every area, but her suggesting his home didn’t reflect that made him wonder if he’d held back in some areas. Hallie had asked him to be her teacher. He owed it to her to be a good example of letting loose. Including and especially with her.
He offered her the remainder of the cake, which she refused, so he ate it. “Hals. You’re going to have to break a few more rules if you want to make progress.”
When she asked what he meant, he scraped the last of the frosting off the plate and said, “You’ll see.”
