wall. “It was kinda obvious. Besides, didn’t you have something like that happen once in college?”
Reese almost gasped out loud, stunned by the memory. “Right—at that party over in McMinnville sophomore year. How the hell did you remember that?”
He grinned. “Some things stick in a guy’s mind. Can’t say I recall every drunken detail of my youth, but that image is burned into my brain.”
Reese bit her lip as she pulled the jacket tighter around her. She looked away, feigning interest in a spot on the wall. “I guess so.”
“You need any help?”
She laughed, startling a passing waitress. “Are you offering to fix my bra clasp? Don’t tell me that’s within the realm of your contractor training.”
“Sure, I’ve got my welding tools out in the truck. If you hold really still, it shouldn’t melt much skin.”
“I’m fine, but thank you. The safety pin should be enough.”
She put her hand on the ladies’ room door again, then hesitated. “Thank you, Clay. I mean it. I don’t think anyone else figured out what was going on.”
“Not even your date?”
“My date .” She spit out the word like a burnt peanut. “Eric picked me a real winner there.”
Clay studied her, quiet for a moment. “He means well.”
“That he does.” She was staring into his eyes now, those pools of root-beer-hued light pulling her in. “Thank you, Clay. Really, you’re a lifesaver.”
Before she could think about what she was doing, she leaned up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
The cheek . That really was what she aimed for.
She wasn’t sure if he turned, or if some instinct drew her a few inches to the right. Her lips found his and she kissed him, part of her expecting him to draw away.
Instead, he put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. His lips moved against hers as she swayed and felt her shoulder bump the wall beside the restroom—surely the least romantic venue for a first kiss.
It’s not your first kiss with Clay , Reese’s subconscious whispered as her libido screamed something else entirely. Not by a long shot.
She deepened the kiss, desperate to block out the voices in her head and just feel him against her. Clay responded, kissing her back as his heart pounded against his chest. Reese could feel it through her shirt, her bare breasts pressing against the thin fabric as Clay’s hands slid up her back and made her shiver with desire.
“Oh, pardon me!”
Reese jumped back and turned to see a startled-looking woman at the edge of the hallway.
“Whoopsie,” the woman said with a giggle. “I can come back—”
“No, it’s okay,” Clay said, taking a step away from Reese. “We were just—”
“Fixing my bra,” Reese supplied.
“Right,” Clay agreed.
The woman nodded, then gave them a knowing smile as she edged around them and pushed through the restroom door. “That’s how I’d do it.”
CHAPTER SIX
Reese kept an eye out for Clay the next day, telling herself she just needed to return his jacket and thank him for rescuing her.
She wasn’t going to address the kiss. Maybe if he brought it up first, but it was probably best to forget the whole thing. Neither of them needed this sort of complication right now. It was best to pretend it hadn’t happened at all.
Wasn’t it?
But she only spotted Clay from a distance a few times, out there in his hardhat and work boots and a snug black T-shirt as he directed a backhoe and gave orders to well-muscled men with shovels. They’d been able to start some of the preliminary excavation, even with the rest of the project still in limbo. Reese and her mother had crunched numbers all morning, trying to find a way to make things work.
“Your father and I will stop by the bank on our way to ballroom dancing class tonight,” June had said as they’d closed the ledgers. “The loan officer wasn’t in earlier, but we’ll make an appointment for you and me to meet with her next week. Is your schedule
Reese almost gasped out loud, stunned by the memory. “Right—at that party over in McMinnville sophomore year. How the hell did you remember that?”
He grinned. “Some things stick in a guy’s mind. Can’t say I recall every drunken detail of my youth, but that image is burned into my brain.”
Reese bit her lip as she pulled the jacket tighter around her. She looked away, feigning interest in a spot on the wall. “I guess so.”
“You need any help?”
She laughed, startling a passing waitress. “Are you offering to fix my bra clasp? Don’t tell me that’s within the realm of your contractor training.”
“Sure, I’ve got my welding tools out in the truck. If you hold really still, it shouldn’t melt much skin.”
“I’m fine, but thank you. The safety pin should be enough.”
She put her hand on the ladies’ room door again, then hesitated. “Thank you, Clay. I mean it. I don’t think anyone else figured out what was going on.”
“Not even your date?”
“My date .” She spit out the word like a burnt peanut. “Eric picked me a real winner there.”
Clay studied her, quiet for a moment. “He means well.”
“That he does.” She was staring into his eyes now, those pools of root-beer-hued light pulling her in. “Thank you, Clay. Really, you’re a lifesaver.”
Before she could think about what she was doing, she leaned up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.
The cheek . That really was what she aimed for.
She wasn’t sure if he turned, or if some instinct drew her a few inches to the right. Her lips found his and she kissed him, part of her expecting him to draw away.
Instead, he put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. His lips moved against hers as she swayed and felt her shoulder bump the wall beside the restroom—surely the least romantic venue for a first kiss.
It’s not your first kiss with Clay , Reese’s subconscious whispered as her libido screamed something else entirely. Not by a long shot.
She deepened the kiss, desperate to block out the voices in her head and just feel him against her. Clay responded, kissing her back as his heart pounded against his chest. Reese could feel it through her shirt, her bare breasts pressing against the thin fabric as Clay’s hands slid up her back and made her shiver with desire.
“Oh, pardon me!”
Reese jumped back and turned to see a startled-looking woman at the edge of the hallway.
“Whoopsie,” the woman said with a giggle. “I can come back—”
“No, it’s okay,” Clay said, taking a step away from Reese. “We were just—”
“Fixing my bra,” Reese supplied.
“Right,” Clay agreed.
The woman nodded, then gave them a knowing smile as she edged around them and pushed through the restroom door. “That’s how I’d do it.”
CHAPTER SIX
Reese kept an eye out for Clay the next day, telling herself she just needed to return his jacket and thank him for rescuing her.
She wasn’t going to address the kiss. Maybe if he brought it up first, but it was probably best to forget the whole thing. Neither of them needed this sort of complication right now. It was best to pretend it hadn’t happened at all.
Wasn’t it?
But she only spotted Clay from a distance a few times, out there in his hardhat and work boots and a snug black T-shirt as he directed a backhoe and gave orders to well-muscled men with shovels. They’d been able to start some of the preliminary excavation, even with the rest of the project still in limbo. Reese and her mother had crunched numbers all morning, trying to find a way to make things work.
“Your father and I will stop by the bank on our way to ballroom dancing class tonight,” June had said as they’d closed the ledgers. “The loan officer wasn’t in earlier, but we’ll make an appointment for you and me to meet with her next week. Is your schedule
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