they made it to the kitchen, she stopped. “I’m sorry I lied.” She owed him that much at least, and since he was a walking lie detector, there was no sense denying it.
“Relax. I expected you would.” He winked at her before he walked away to the living room.
She followed him, wandering around the room. She’d been so terrified about this meeting that she’d made a trip to a small boutique the afternoon prior just to buy a new shirt. Sadly, it likely wasn’t worth the money she’d thrown down, but after spending an hour on her closet floor nearly comatose from the exhaustion of trying on twelve lackluster ensembles she already owned, she decided it was worth whatever the price might be. The skirt was the same as she’d worn on their previous house-hunting-mission-gone-bad, and as she shrugged out of her black pea coat and left it on the kitchen island, his gaze trailed slowly over her, studying her new billowy satin shirt.
The material was cold against her skin. It was every shade of gray, black, and white imaginable, swirled into a rather antique looking paisley pattern, but it was doing little to keep her warm in the rather cool house. She’d paired the outfit with her black boots that came nearly to her knees. They had a heel, and every step she took clicked and echoed off the cavernous empty walls and floor. It was only after she stopped, crossing her arms on her chest and returning his stare that he actually gave up his attention on her and started looking around. Odd, she’d worn the new shirt to attract his attention, and yet, when he’d given it to her, she’d instantly cooled and glared at him. Was this going to be her vengeance? Some pathetic immature power struggle?
His eyes kept shifting to her as he looked around. The living room was a decent size, and it had a beautiful stone fireplace that extended up to the vaulted ceilings above, but even that failed to capture his attention for longer than a second.
The house was a large two-story structure with four upstairs bedrooms, one of which was an impressive master suite that overlooked the water. Within minutes, he wandered off as she remained in the living room twiddling her thumbs and trying to calm the tremor in her hands. But ten minutes later, when she did catch up to him, she found him staring out the windows of the master bedroom upstairs.
“You know, you must be going for distraction gold wearing that skirt again today.” His voice had the warm seductive edge that instantly flushed her skin. “Can’t guarantee I’m going to be paying attention today any better than the first time.” He’d not bothered to turn to her as he spoke, but in the silence now, he slowly did round toward her, watching quietly and intently as he always did with his searing hazel green eyes.
“I chose my outfit unwisely, did I?”
His lips pulled up. And she forced a casual smirk even as her heart raced.
“No. You chose very wisely. You look beautiful. You always do.” He didn’t stop his attention from drifting down her figure. His face looked relaxed, and the tension was gone, but as she watched, he swallowed and his brow furrowed. “I don’t like the way things are with us.”
“Well, there it is—the truth as told by the one who made it so.” She instantly regretted saying it, as happened often to Joss.
His expression suddenly cooled, and his nostrils flared as he breathed. “Tell me, did you try to push me off on Randall?” He was back to smirking, seemingly having stowed whatever irritation may have been creeping in.
“Maybe.”
“I thought as much.”
She laughed quietly. He looked almost playful as he studied her ruefully. She could feel the warmth in her cheeks as she flushed.
“We should probably head to the next house.” But when she turned to leave, he quickly grabbed her elbow, spinning her to face the large windows that looked out to the shore in the distance.
She didn’t turn toward him, though. She just stilled in
“Relax. I expected you would.” He winked at her before he walked away to the living room.
She followed him, wandering around the room. She’d been so terrified about this meeting that she’d made a trip to a small boutique the afternoon prior just to buy a new shirt. Sadly, it likely wasn’t worth the money she’d thrown down, but after spending an hour on her closet floor nearly comatose from the exhaustion of trying on twelve lackluster ensembles she already owned, she decided it was worth whatever the price might be. The skirt was the same as she’d worn on their previous house-hunting-mission-gone-bad, and as she shrugged out of her black pea coat and left it on the kitchen island, his gaze trailed slowly over her, studying her new billowy satin shirt.
The material was cold against her skin. It was every shade of gray, black, and white imaginable, swirled into a rather antique looking paisley pattern, but it was doing little to keep her warm in the rather cool house. She’d paired the outfit with her black boots that came nearly to her knees. They had a heel, and every step she took clicked and echoed off the cavernous empty walls and floor. It was only after she stopped, crossing her arms on her chest and returning his stare that he actually gave up his attention on her and started looking around. Odd, she’d worn the new shirt to attract his attention, and yet, when he’d given it to her, she’d instantly cooled and glared at him. Was this going to be her vengeance? Some pathetic immature power struggle?
His eyes kept shifting to her as he looked around. The living room was a decent size, and it had a beautiful stone fireplace that extended up to the vaulted ceilings above, but even that failed to capture his attention for longer than a second.
The house was a large two-story structure with four upstairs bedrooms, one of which was an impressive master suite that overlooked the water. Within minutes, he wandered off as she remained in the living room twiddling her thumbs and trying to calm the tremor in her hands. But ten minutes later, when she did catch up to him, she found him staring out the windows of the master bedroom upstairs.
“You know, you must be going for distraction gold wearing that skirt again today.” His voice had the warm seductive edge that instantly flushed her skin. “Can’t guarantee I’m going to be paying attention today any better than the first time.” He’d not bothered to turn to her as he spoke, but in the silence now, he slowly did round toward her, watching quietly and intently as he always did with his searing hazel green eyes.
“I chose my outfit unwisely, did I?”
His lips pulled up. And she forced a casual smirk even as her heart raced.
“No. You chose very wisely. You look beautiful. You always do.” He didn’t stop his attention from drifting down her figure. His face looked relaxed, and the tension was gone, but as she watched, he swallowed and his brow furrowed. “I don’t like the way things are with us.”
“Well, there it is—the truth as told by the one who made it so.” She instantly regretted saying it, as happened often to Joss.
His expression suddenly cooled, and his nostrils flared as he breathed. “Tell me, did you try to push me off on Randall?” He was back to smirking, seemingly having stowed whatever irritation may have been creeping in.
“Maybe.”
“I thought as much.”
She laughed quietly. He looked almost playful as he studied her ruefully. She could feel the warmth in her cheeks as she flushed.
“We should probably head to the next house.” But when she turned to leave, he quickly grabbed her elbow, spinning her to face the large windows that looked out to the shore in the distance.
She didn’t turn toward him, though. She just stilled in
Similar Books
