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“It didn’t feel weird until you mentioned it.”
Carson’s hands returned to her waist. One finger tapped against her back. “Vi? Via?” Another grin. “Just Bug?”
She smacked his chest playfully. “Not Bug.”
Okay, this was giving her some breathing space, some time to think about the consequences of making out with her boss in a closet during work hours. Probably not a good practice to get into. Where would it lead? Well, she knew where it would lead—to her doing things she regretted after he’d left her behind.
He laughed and pulled her closer. “Okay. Not Bug. How about Livey?”
Another kiss and she’d be lost. She stepped away from him. Put some space between them. Her back was to the door. “Livey is fine, but we should talk about us.”
“Okay,” he said, unbothered. “I thinkusis a very good idea.” He stepped toward her. “In fact, I’m a big fan of us. Enjoying the product. Would buy again.”
He wasn’t being serious. He was probably used to women wanting to have these sorts of talks with him. How many of them had tried unsuccessfully to pin him down?
She put up her hand to stop his forward progress. “You’re going to go back to Denver after this house is done. I signed a contract to teach here next year. I don’t want to be your Lark Springs summer fling. I’m not a fling person.”
His blue eyes trained on her. “What makes you think I am?”
She didn’t want to let him know that she’d actually kept track of his relationships in high school. That made her seem stalkerish. “You went from hating me to kissing me really fast.”
He dipped his chin. “So did you.”
“Well yeah, but back before junior year I liked you, so I had prior history to draw on. When you take that into consideration, it wasn’t fast at all.” She wanted him to reassure her that she wasn’t just a passing interest, that he was prepared to have a real relationship with her.
His eyebrows raised. “You had a crush on me?” He seemed far too amused by this confession.
She crossed her arms. “You shouldn’t be surprised. Every girl had a crush on you in high school. That’s how we killed time during boring lectures. We doodled your name on our notebooks. It was a rite of passage.”
“Really? Does this notebook still exist?”
“You’re enjoying this a little too much.”
His blue eyes bore into hers. “No, actually I’m not enjoying this at all. Because you’re standing over there,” he motioned to the space between them, “giving me reasons you don’t want to kiss me again.”
“I do. I just shouldn’t.”
He tapped a finger against his lips, considering. “I’m getting mixed signals on consent for this one. After all, I shouldn’t eat potato chips but I still do. I shouldn’t stay on my feet too long but I still do. You shouldn’t kiss me but…?”
He was asking. This is probably where most of the women caved to his charm and good looks and chiseled abs, and she was staring at him instead of saying anything. She was imagining his lips back on hers. Time for a reality check. “Your father doesn’t like me, does he?”
Carson’s head jerked back. “Why would you think that?”
“You act really distant toward me when he’s around.”
Carson paused and ran his hand through his hair. There was a tenseness in his jaw that hadn’t been there a moment earlier. “He doesn’t have anything against you. He just thinks I’m not working hard enough on the remodel. If he knew about us, he’d think I was completely slacking.”
“But you’re working really hard.” Harder than he should considering his foot. “Why would he think that?”
Carson gestured to her. “Well, Iamin a closet with you right now.”
“And the other ninety-nine percent of the time you’re killing yourself to get the project done. Surely he sees that.”
Carson glanced at the door and shifted away from her. She thought he wouldn’t answer her, that he would change the subject. Instead, he sighed. “Growing up, I never took school seriously. It caused a lot of friction between us, and now he thinks that’s my MO. Believe it or not, some people stereotype jocks.”
Including her. She ignored this fact and laid her hand on his arm. “He’s got to realize how hard you’re working. I’m sure he’s very proud of you.”
That comment earned her another sigh. “He was before I got injured.”
