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“I know, right?”
“We’re within walking distance of each other.”
“Yeah, but the place you’re renting is closer to the beach than mine.”
“True. I’ll have to have you over sometime. I’m renting this big mansion and the view from the deck is breathtaking and the garden is spectacular.”
“Oh.” She seems completely overwhelmed by my suggestion.
“No need to blush. It’s not an official invitation yet,” I tease, tapping my index finger against her nose. It’s adorable how she goes from being a sassy woman to shy girl when I come on too strong. “Let’s get out of here so you make it on time for your hair appointment.”
During the drive back to the house Miranda is housesitting, we talk about how her best friend, who works in the film industry, got into this line of work and how cool it is to live in a multi-million-dollar home without having to pay a cent of rent. To my chagrin, it’s a short drive. I’m usually very blunt when I want to see a woman again or when I want to fuck her, but there’s something about Miranda that suggests I should take it slow.
“Hunter, it was the house over there,” Miranda says, pointing behind her. “You just passed it.”
I guess I’m preoccupied with what I’m going to say and not focusing enough on where I’m going. “Sorry about that.” I put the car in reverse. “Voilà, you’re home. Let me help you with all these groceries.” I jump out of the vehicle and snake around the SUV until I reach her door. I help her out and we walk in silence to the trunk. It takes us a couple trips, but we finally manage to get all of her groceries and her bike in front of her door. “Why don’t I help you take those inside? It might be a lot for you to carry all the way into the kitchen.”
“Thanks a lot for your help, Hunter. I’ll take care of it from here. I’m not really supposed to let anybody inside the house. It’s part of my contract. It’s not always the case, but this particular homeowner is a stickler on that rule.”
“I understand.” Damn.
“Even if I were able to sneak you in, Ruth, who lives across there,” she says, pointing at a house behind me, “also known as nosy Mrs. Silverstein, would most likely spot you and report me to the owner. She’s a busybody who spends half her days peeking through her curtains—as if nobody noticed—to find out what’s happening on the street. She’s always checking up on me as if it were her job. Mr. Silverstein is a sweetheart and he’s easy-going, but his wife is a whole other story.” Miranda laughs.
“I’d hate to get you in any kind of trouble.”
“Thanks so much for being such a good sport about it and thanks for the lift.”
“Miranda, I’d love to see you again.”
She hesitates, lowers her gaze, folds her lower lip inside her mouth before lifting her eyes up, meeting mine. I swear to God, if it weren’t for Mrs. Silverstein, I’d be making out with Miranda right here in front of this door, but I behave. The last thing I want is to jeopardize her job. She bats her eyelashes at me and says in a soft honey voice, “So would I, Hunter.” Yes.
“It seems like we’re both going to have a late night since you have a party and I’m attending a gala later. Do you want to meet tomorrow for brunch? We can then drive up to Malibu and spend the afternoon there.”
“That sounds like a great idea, but I can’t.” Fuck. “My best friend has a whole outdoors thing planned for the two of us on Sunday. She wants to take me out of the city for a relaxing day hiking before I start my new job.”
Okay, strike two.“What about Monday night? We can connect and you can tell me all about your first day. I’m sure you’ll have a lot to share.”
“Are you sure you want to hear about my first day at work? As much I’m looking forward to it, I doubt what I do is as exciting as being a successful rancher.”
Time to cut to the chase. I’ve been patient enough.“We can talk about your day hiking, LA’s perfect weather or nosy Mrs. Silverstein. It’s your pick. The bottom line is I want to see you again and I want to see you soon. I hope you feel the same way.”
She nods. “I totally do.”
“I much prefer this answer.” I grin. “Since we live so close, why don’t I swing by and pick you up at eight?”
“Perfect. That should give me plenty of time to fight my way through LA traffic and get back here on time.” She smiles.
“Give me your phone. I’ll put in my number and you can text me if you’re running late.”
She fishes through her backpack and hands me her iPhone without protest.
“I’m booked solid on Monday and I have a late afternoon meeting with a new potential client. It’s a really important meeting and if I’m stuck there longer than I anticipated, I’ll let you know since it’ll affect my drive time back. We both know how unpredictable LA rush hour can be.”
“Tell me about it,” she says, taking her phone back from me and shoving it in her back pocket. “Well, Hunter, thank you so much for a great day. I don’t think my shopping experience would’ve been nearly as enjoyable had I not bumped into you.”
I take a step closer and lean into her. I’m inches away from her mouth. I can tell my proximity makes her nervous because she’s breathing hard, but she doesn’t back away. “I really want to kiss you right now, but I’m afraid I’ll give Mrs. Silverstein something to talk about so I’ll have to restrain myself. I guess I’ll have to wait until Monday to show you how much I enjoyed spending the day with you,” I confess. This close, my stature dwarfs her and my height forces her to tilt her head way back to meet my eyes.
“Damn Mrs. Silverstein,” she whispers in a husky voice.
