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I coughed once. “The night actually ended early,” I said.
Melanie looked unconvinced. “I really shouldn’t have mentioned it. Who you spend time with is none of my business.”
“You’re right. It’s not,” I said. “But since I asked you about your night out, it’s only fair I tell you about mine.”
She grimaced. “You really don’t have to.”
“Don’t worry, my summary will be G-rated. I told you it was an early night. I’d never been out with Briana before and only went as a favor to Jay. After dinner I went home, slept for four hours—alone in my own bed—and was back here at dawn. I’m not interested in that girl, and I have no plans to see her again.”
A vague smile crossed Melanie’s face. “I believe you,” she said softly.
We stared at each other for a few tense heartbeats.
“You okay?” I asked her because she still had her arms crossed across her body like she was protecting herself.
She tilted her head slightly. “Yeah, why?” A piece of hair came loose from her bun and landed on her shoulder. She had impossibly thick hair. It was always breaking free.
Without thinking, I reached out and tried to tuck it back into place. It wouldn’t stay. So instead I reached around and opened the clip. She gasped a little as the wild cloud of hair sprang free and tumbled to her shoulders. My fingers got briefly tangled in the soft curtain. The fresh scent of her shampoo messed with my head and shot a bolt of lust straight to my dick. She closed her eyes and shivered as I allowed my fingers to sift through her hair. If I didn’t stop right here right now, this would go too far. But I didn’t pull away just yet. I brushed my fingertips against the tender skin of her neck for a few seconds, touching the delicate hollow of her throat, before withdrawing my hand. Melanie breathed and opened her eyes again.
“I should really get to work,” she whispered, still trembling a little.
“You really should,” I whispered back.
Melanie took a step back; the fire in her eyes told me how much I’d gotten under her skin.
She picked up her purse and her laptop bag from where she’d deposited them. It seemed as if she was moving slowly, stalling, like she was trying to sort through the thoughts in her head. I searched for something to say that might ease the tension.
“You know what?” I spoke up. “When we start getting food shipments over the next few days, I’ll be firing up the oven for some product test runs.”
She brightened. “Oh yeah? That’s great.”
“How about I make you a custom pizza before opening day? You choose the toppings. I expect it will be the best damn pizza that ever passed your lips.”
“I’m sure it will.”
As soon as I mentioned her lips, I found myself staring at them as she spoke, imagining what they’d feel like, taste like. The spell from a moment ago hadn’t been broken, not completely. It had occurred to me as I watched her hair tumble around her shoulders that I wanted to do much more than tug on a few soft strands. I wanted to grab her with both hands and run my fingers through that dense curtain of sexy hair. I wanted to bend down and put my mouth all over the delicate skin I’d touched with my fingertips. I was almost sure she wouldn’t stop me.
“Dominic ...,” she started to say, and it wasn’t the fact that she’d said my name that got me all knotted up. It was the way she said it, all breathy and seductive. I wondered if she’d read my thoughts somehow.
For better or for worse, there was no time to explore the moment because Gio walked through the door and right into the middle of it.
“Hey, kids,” he said with his usual cheer.
Melanie pulled herself together first. “Hi, Gio.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked. “You said you weren’t coming by until this afternoon.”
Gio was already checking out the table configuration. “I felt like taking a drive.” He glanced at me. “Was I interrupting you or something?”
“No,” Melanie and I practically shouted at the same time.
Melanie cleared her throat. “Gio, I’ve got four more interviews lined up today. I’ll email you my thoughts as soon I’m done, and tomorrow we should be ready to make the last employment offers.”
“Sounds good,” Gio said. But he was watching me.
Melanie kept talking. “Also, the point of sale system will be all set up by the weekend. The company rep will be here on Friday to give me comprehensive training, but thanks to the time I spent at Espo 1, I’m confident that it’ll be a cakewalk. I’ll be totally up to speed when the staff starts training.”
“You have anything to add, Dom?” Gio asked.
