AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The teasing glint in his eyes makes me want to take the wind out of his sails.
I lift my chin. “Maybe I do.”
“Of course you do. With me.”
I narrow my eyes. “With you.”
“Yep.”
I shake my head. “No way. This is work, not a social thing.” I place a hand on my hip. “What makes you think I couldn’t have a date tonight?”
“Because, Sunflower,”—he moves closer to me, invading my space, so close I lean my head back to look into his eyes—“this is Madison Ridge, and in case you forgot, the whole town is watching. I would’ve heard by now.”
He pushes back a lock of hair behind my ear. “Not to mention, you’ve been here virtually from sunup to sundown every day this week. When would you have had time to make a date with some tourist?”
I swallow, trying in vain to keep the butterflies in my stomach still. “I could have met someone at lunch.”
“One of the delivery guys?”
Damn it. He has me there.
Still, I won’t back down.
“Keeping tabs on me, Henderson?”
His grin is wolfish, his voice low and dangerous. He lifts a lock of my hair and wraps it around his finger, drawing me into a trance. “Let’s just say you’re never far from my mind, Sunflower.”
That smile brings out his dimple, and I have the overwhelming urge to ride him. God, I need help.
No, what I need is for him to lie on top of me. Or me lie on top of him.
“And since you’re related to half the male population in one way or another and the other half are too old or too young for you…” He trails off, shrugging his broad shoulders.
I shove at him, but can’t hold back the smile. “I hate that you’re right.”
He drops his hand with a chuckle. “Let’s go find a tree.”
We agree—reluctantly on my end—to have Jake pick me up at home in thirty minutes to give us each time to clean up.
Exactly thirty minutes later, Jake rings the doorbell, and like the schoolgirl I once was, I rush to answer it.
“This is not a date, this is not a date.” I blow out a breath and open the door.
This is definitely a date.
He looks too good for it not to be.
“Hi,” I say, a bit too breathlessly.
He smiles, and his dark blue-gray eyes light up. “Hey, yourself.”
I step back to let him through the door and try not to stare.
With his black wool overcoat, pressed dark jeans, and black beanie that highlights his high cheekbones and sharp jawline covered in stubble, he looks more suited to Seattle than Madison Ridge.
I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Jake dressed this way. The man can wear anything and look like he belongs in a magazine.
I clear my throat. “I’ll just get my coat.”
