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He looked over his shoulder at the top of her head where she knew her mop of curly red hair was piled up in a knot and likely wild-looking. She swallowed over the flop in her stomach at his implication.
“We need to know things about each other in order to work on these fundraisers together?”
“Right, so I know you like kids, cinnamon, and my dimple, but what else?”
She took a deep breath, trying not to smile at his playful confidence.
“My favorite color is blue, and my favorite food is Mexican or cake.”
“Cake is its own food group?”
“Yes, if soup is a food group, so is cake. Any kind of cake.”
“Noted.”
He finished pouring the yellow paint and wiped his hand on a rag nearby before starting with the next color. Giving her ample time to enjoy the view that was Conner Maguire. His charming sense of humor and dimple buried in his scruff was hard not to respond to.
“What else do we need to do before we can go eat?”
“I was going to organize the crayons by color, but I guess that can wait.”
“Fantastic, then we can go get some huevos rancheros.”
A groan of desire escaped, and Conner’s mouth quirked up on one side in his boyish cocky smirk. He finished closing up the blue paint, and they both put the pumps back on.
“Now can we go eat?” Conner patted his stomach.
“Yes, but we’re not going to your usual place.”
“How do you know my usual place?”
“Because every cop I know goes to Rita’s for breakfast, and I don’t need anyone seeing us together and running back to one of my brothers.”
“You mean you don’t want anyone to know you were seen enjoying time with the gorgeous Maguire brother.”
“I thought Rory was married,” Hannah teased.
He moved fast and grabbed her by the biceps to pull her into his chest playfully while a sly smile spread on his face.
“Are you trying to tell me that you think my older, cranky brother is more attractive than me? And before you answer that, you should know I can tell when anyone is lying.”
“I’m not going to puff up your ego with compliments.”
His gaze studied her, then one hand captured the side of her face and she sucked in a breath. His thumb ran along the side of her jaw, and the warmth spread, pushing goosebumps to pebble over her skin.
“You just have a little paint right here. We don’t want folks to think we’re uncivilized.” His tone was playful, but his lips pouted instead of spreading in an easy smile.
The heat of her blush pushed up her neck. His hand was warm, rough, and exactly what she wanted to feel, but that was a bad idea.
Pulling away from him, she moved to the sink by the door and washed up before grabbing her bag. He was quiet while following her lead and she wondered if he was as disturbed by the pulse between them as they exited the community center.
The cool air was a welcome reprieve after the tension and heat they’d produced inside. It was ridiculous for her to think her attraction to Conner would have faded with time and distance. If anything, it felt more combustible than it ever had.
“You can follow me,” she said as she walked toward her truck.
“Happily.”
She jumped up into her truck and made her way to her favorite breakfast stop ten minutes away. Parking in the small dirt lot, she waited for Conner to find a parking spot along the street.
