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“You think I’ll let that slide because you’re cute?”
When he laughed, and I remembered how his breath against the back of my neck felt, a shiver ran through me. We weren’t strangers to each other’s bodies, but just sitting and talking... this was new.
“You think I’m cute.” He still had my hand as I returned to the seat I’d been occupying. “I emailed you last night, and you’re going to read me the riot act about not communicating and then check your officiant email and have to eat your words.” He kissed my knuckles and then let my hand go. “I’m saving you the trouble.”
“How very thoughtful.” I’d never had to convey sarcasm when my mind was spinning from a kiss to my hand, but there I was, pretending the act hadn’t thrown me.
“Plus, if we start fighting, you won’t be smiling like that anymore.”
I tilted my face toward the railing surrounding the rooftop, the sky beyond a brilliant blue. “What makes you think arguing with you wouldn’t make me smile?”
“True.” Lear’s long fingers grazed the table, and I thought about the feel of them on my body, at the back of my neck. “Do you want to get together after the rehearsal?”
“Maybe.” Of course I did, but I didn’t want him to know how much I’d been looking forward to it. How much I’d started looking forward to him. “I have a big case I’m on now and I might need to get some work done, so we’ll see.” Did using work as the rationale soften the noncommittal response? I didn’t usually care if I let a sexual partner down, but I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
Lear leaned one elbow on the table and dragged an index finger over the inside of my wrist. “Sure. I know work comes first.”
I met his eye, enjoying his smiling expression and ignoring how the stroke of his finger on my wrist felt like foreplay. “It doesn’t always leave time for fun. Have to stay on top of everything.”
“You don’t have to explain, RJ. We’re not that different.”
“Yes. I mean, I’m more type A than you, but still...”
He tickled my wrist, making me yelp. “Take it back.”
“Never,” I said.
Our eyes met, both our smiles wide. The heat was rising between us, and my body tingled in anticipation. “Lear, I own three label makers.”
“That’s just prudent,” he said, snatching another chip from the bowl. “And kind of sexy.”
“My label makers are sexy?”
“Yeah.” He bit his lower lip, expression darkening. His eyes flicked to my lips, and I wondered if he’d kiss me there in the open. We didn’t kiss outside of sex. That had been my line to draw, because it felt wise and like a way to make sure we didn’t get confused. I wanted him to lean over and kiss me now, though. “Your custom tabs for each ceremony are enticing, so, yeah, I think your label makers are sexy.”
“Lear,” I said, lifting my arm to glance at my watch.
“You know, it’s considered rude to check your watch when a man is telling you things about you he finds sexy,” he said.
“We don’t have a lot of time.”
He stroked his finger along the inside of my wrist again. “We have forty-four minutes,” he said, not taking his eyes off me. “You think I didn’t check?”
My breath hitched at the soft touches. “You thought I wouldn’t double-check?”
“No, I knew you would.”
“If I didn’t need to get ready and review my notes, I’d say we could do our thing now,” I said, still enjoying the feeling of his fingertip tracing over my skin. I thought about the Mayfields. I’d been working that morning and again after arriving at the hotel, and the case was always on my mind. It was one of the biggest in my career, and the more involved I was, the more I wondered if Iwasn’t a little like Dina Mayfield. She was to the point, confident, and logical. I wondered how she’d react to this position, if she’d lean into how good it felt, knowing it wouldn’t last.
He flashed a genuine smile and leaned forward, his forearms on the table. “We can hang out later, Ruthie.”
I was lost in the sensation of his finger moving along my sensitive skin, and I almost missed the nickname, almost let it flow over me.
I gently pulled my hand away and ran it over the front of my shirt. “Don’t call me Ruthie.”
“Why not? It’s your name.”
“Only... special people get to call me Ruthie. I don’t even know why I told you about it.”
