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“I have to go back to work but thank you.”
We air kiss. I bypass the valet. I’m more able-bodied than many older folks who are members of this club, so I enjoy the walk to my car. Plus, it really is a beautiful day. I’d like to soak in the sun before I venture back into Mordor to confront Sauron.
I’m referring to Barrett, in case you were wondering.
“Shame we’re not planning on kissing at the end of any of these dates,” Barrett says as he fiddles with the pens in my pen cup.
I send the email I was typing, unable to hold back a snort. “Why am I not surprised to hear you say that?”
He’s sitting on the edge of my desk, behavior I’ve grown accustomed to and have decided to ignore. He takes up space with everyone in the office. I’ve seen it. I guess it makes sense. He made a living out of “huddling” so maybe his personal space bubble is smaller than most.
I lean over to shove a file into my desk drawer and then sit up, only to be confronted by Barrett nearer than usual.
“It’s impossible to tell whether you like someone or not if you don’t touch them.” His blue eyes skate over my face, taking a brief inventory. I wonder what he sees.
“It’s not impossible.” This close I can’t miss the red and blond whiskers that cohabitate on his scruffy jaw. But I’m not going to fall over myself like Nanci. I don’t find celebrities—even low-grade ones like Fox—that interesting. I clear my throat.
“I haven’t touched you, and I know I don’t like you.” I smile sweetly, but it falls away when he ever-so-gently sweeps a lock of hair away from my face.
“Must just be me, then,” he murmurs.
He has big hands. Nice hands. They’re a little rough and a lot tender, which isn’t what I’d expect from him. Using his thumb, he gently brushes the skin along my cheek, then down to my bottom lip. I’m frozen in place, soaking up the attention that has been so lacking from the opposite sex.
“You can tell a lot from a kiss, Kitty Cat. Even one without tongue.”
My heart pounds and my breaths shorten. I tell myself it’s because I don’t like him and his posture is threatening, but my nipples are the first to point out that lie. There’s nothing threatening about his nearness or the way he’s touching me.
Fine. I’m attracted to him. Or not him per se, but to his magnetism. There’s a pull surrounding him.
His blues zero in on my mouth. “Aren’t you the least bit curious? Your readers will be. I’m an unattainable bachelor, and they’re going to expect a full report.”
His voice is low and rumbly like a far-off thunderstorm. The kind best enjoyed while curled under a blanket and cradling a cup of warm tea. That there’s a single cozy element about him is more off-putting than the rest of him.
“I have a boyfriend.” A good reminder for both of us.
“I know.” He tips my chin with his knuckles. “Think your guy would mind if you kissed me for the assignment? No tongue. Just so you can fully disclose how it feels to have my mouth on yours?”
His tongue sneaks out to wet his bottom lip and I suck in a sharp breath of...something. Terror. Or want. Could be want. That’s pretty terrifying.
Barrett grins—a white, sharky smile.
“Eh, you’re probably right.” He drops his hand. “Wouldn’t be worth it.”
I blink back to reality and then watch as he swaggers back to his desk. I’m still leaning forward on the edge of my chair, my chin tipped as if I’m waiting for that kiss he promised. With a huff, I tousle my hair, open my laptop, and start writing. Or, well, I start hitting keys and hope that I look like I’m writing.
A quick glance over my shoulder at Barrett proves he is looking at me this time. He flashes me one of his smug smiles. His hands are propped on the back of his head, his legs crossed at the ankles and stretched out in front of him.
For one insane, fleeting second I wanted Barrett Fox to kiss me.
And he knows it.
Chapter 6
Barrett
“Ought to do it,” I tell my brother as I drop the hood on his Audi A8. It’s black and was a beautiful car when I bought it for him two years ago. Now it’s boasting a long scratch along the passenger side and a dent in the front bumper thanks to his DUI.
The reason I’m here today isn’t quite as dramatic. He thought the Audi needed “fixed” but it turned out in desperate need of an oil change.
