A Just Deception by Adrienne Giordano

“I give you credit. I couldn’t be near him every day.”
    “Yeah, you could. If it meant getting to where you want to be in life, you could do it. My relationship with my uncle is strained, at best, but I’ll use him to build a career. I don’t feel bad about it either. I sacrificed for his career, and he can do the same for me. I won’t be there forever. Just a couple of years. All I need is the experience at a prestigious firm and I’ll be able to go anywhere.”
    He reached up, tucked the hair that had come loose back behind her ear.
    She brought her gaze up and it fused with his. Oh, crap . The look he’d been thinking about all day. He started to pull his hand away, but she grabbed his wrist and held it there while his good sense went to war with his horny body.
    “You’re okay,” he said.
    If she made a move on him he’d be screwed. He would not shag her. Not after what she’d experienced tonight. She focused on his mouth and closed her eyes for a second.
    When she opened them, something changed. An odd shift he couldn’t decipher. Heat filled her eyes, but she’d become distant when it should have been the other way around. Weird.
    She inched toward him. He backed away.
    Nope. Not gonna do this.
    “Izzy, let’s not confuse two issues here.”
    She laughed. “I’m not confused.”
    “I’m glad. Overjoyed actually.” She’d never know how much. “But, let’s wait and see how you feel tomorrow. Adrenaline sometimes makes me want things I shouldn’t have. You may think you want sex tonight, and believe me, I’m happy to oblige, but I couldn’t take it if you had regrets tomorrow.”
    Silence. She kept her gaze locked with his though, and he saw the confusion behind it. Did she have a clue how much talking her eyes did?
    She screwed up her lips to smother a smile. “Where the hell are you from, Peter? I have never in my life had a man say that to me.”
    He snorted. “I’m a bit blown away myself. Considering I’ve been thinking about nothing but having sex with you. I don’t want it like this. Not after what happened tonight. I’d be damned happy to revisit the conversation at a later date though.”
    She leaned forward and the blanket slipped off when she pressed her ice-cold hands against his cheeks. And kissed him. Not a crazy, lust-ridden kiss. More of a soft, lingering kiss. Confirmation that they would revisit the conversation. Haza ! He could only hope. Otherwise, he’d beat himself to death with a ball pein hammer for losing the opportunity.
    She backed away, giving his wrist a squeeze. “I’d appreciate it if you stayed awhile. I’ll get you some blankets. The couch is comfortable.”
    He cleared his throat. Nodded.
    She headed toward the bedroom, but stopped. “Thank you, Peter. For everything.”
    “No sweat,” he said. “You don’t happen to have a hammer, do you?”

Chapter Seven
    Isabelle waited as Peter pulled his SUV into the circular drive in front of her office building.
    “That’s a look if I’ve ever seen one,” she said when he walked over to her. The camouflage cargo shorts, white T-shirt and beat-up combat boots left her wanting to duck and cover. Why, oh why, did he have a do-rag hiding that gorgeous hair?
    He handed her a set of keys. “Huh?”
    She gestured up and down with her hands “Your outfit.”
    “Oh, yeah. This is standard wear for me. My day and night look, so to speak.”
    After skimming the getup one more time, she tapped her finger against her lips. “I like the rogue look. It suits you.”
    A car pulled up and Peter stepped onto the curb, nudging her back a few steps. The intensity of all that male heat so close sent a buzz shooting up her legs.
    “Thank you for running the keys over to me,” she said. “My court appearance was cancelled, so I could have met you at the house and gotten them.”
    Ten minutes earlier, he called to say he’d changed the lock on the front door and had new keys for her. Could he come by the office