course,” she said. “If you golf.”
“I golf,” Mike said. “Not Carlos.”
“Christ, you might as well watch paint dry for fun,” Carlos said.
“He’s an adrenaline junkie,” Mike told Jules.
“I don’t deny it,” Carlos said. “You golf, Jules?”
“Um. No.”
“So I’ll be driving right on by the country club to the home store,” Carlos said with a grin. “We’ll be making lots of trips there. Lots to do on the house.”
“Like what?”
He gestured to the yard, which was minimally landscaped, the lawn patchy and weedy. “Wanna put in some shrubs and plants out here. The grass isn’t in great shape, I’ll need some seed. That palm tree needs major pruning.”
“Inside,” Mike continued, “we want to refinish the hardwood floors. Paint pretty much every room.”
“The main bathroom needs to be gutted,” Carlos added.
“You guys can do all that?” She looked back and forth between them.
Mike put on an offended look. “Of course we can. We’re men.”
“I know that. Believe me.”
And once again, he was as hard as a fence post, just at her smoky voice and sultry eyes.
Jules insisted on helping with the dishes when they’d eaten. “I’d better get home,” she said when they were done. “I’m glad I don’t have far to go, I had a few glasses of that wine.”
“I’ll walk you home,” Mike said, drying his hands on a towel.
“Don’t be silly. I live next door.”
And he was so, so glad of that. “Still,” he said. “Come on.” He held the back door open for her and let her precede him onto the patio, now dark. “We need some lights out here.”
“Mmm. I saw some really cute ones that were little garden gnomes that lit up.”
He choked on a laugh. “Oh man. I don’t think so.” He set his hand on the small of her back as he followed her around the side of the house in the dark. He leaned in a little closer and the scent of her hair rose in the cool night air, something delicate and floral and feminine. He breathed it in.
Attraction was like a punch to his gut, sucking the air out of his lungs, making his body tighten. He followed her up her front sidewalk to her door. The overhead light shone off her dark hair as she pulled her key out from the small bag she carried.
She turned and smiled up at him, an expectant, knowing smile. “Thanks for dinner.”
“It was fun.”
“Yeah.” Something passed across her eyes. “It was.”
An inexplicable emotion rose up inside him, something he couldn’t name, didn’t really understand. It felt like…tenderness. He didn’t feel sorry for her…she was in no way pitiable. If anything, she was a little intimidating in her confidence and sexy frankness. And yet, once again he had the sense of something beneath the surface that she kept hidden away. He wasn’t sure what it was…yet. But he was going to find out.
She expected him to come in. She thought that’s why he’d walked her home. He could tell.
He moved closer. Her eyes widened a little, her gaze dropping to his mouth. His body responded with a hot surge of blood through his veins. And yet…this wasn’t about sex.
Well. Not all about sex. Sex was definitely part of it. But not all of it.
So he bent his head, his eyelids lowered but not closed, and brushed his mouth over her petal-soft cheek. “Good night.”
He caught the flare of surprise in those amazing lavender eyes as he drew back. He smiled at her and stepped back, waiting for her to enter her house before leaving.
“Um. Yeah. Good night. Thanks again.” She let herself in then closed the door behind her.
He grinned as he jumped down her front steps to the brick sidewalk. There might be a little control battle going on between them, but he’d just had the equivalent of the last word.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to take photographs of Mosaic Cave. It did sound unique and interesting. It sounded even more interesting to go there with Mike, although having ten other
“I golf,” Mike said. “Not Carlos.”
“Christ, you might as well watch paint dry for fun,” Carlos said.
“He’s an adrenaline junkie,” Mike told Jules.
“I don’t deny it,” Carlos said. “You golf, Jules?”
“Um. No.”
“So I’ll be driving right on by the country club to the home store,” Carlos said with a grin. “We’ll be making lots of trips there. Lots to do on the house.”
“Like what?”
He gestured to the yard, which was minimally landscaped, the lawn patchy and weedy. “Wanna put in some shrubs and plants out here. The grass isn’t in great shape, I’ll need some seed. That palm tree needs major pruning.”
“Inside,” Mike continued, “we want to refinish the hardwood floors. Paint pretty much every room.”
“The main bathroom needs to be gutted,” Carlos added.
“You guys can do all that?” She looked back and forth between them.
Mike put on an offended look. “Of course we can. We’re men.”
“I know that. Believe me.”
And once again, he was as hard as a fence post, just at her smoky voice and sultry eyes.
Jules insisted on helping with the dishes when they’d eaten. “I’d better get home,” she said when they were done. “I’m glad I don’t have far to go, I had a few glasses of that wine.”
“I’ll walk you home,” Mike said, drying his hands on a towel.
“Don’t be silly. I live next door.”
And he was so, so glad of that. “Still,” he said. “Come on.” He held the back door open for her and let her precede him onto the patio, now dark. “We need some lights out here.”
“Mmm. I saw some really cute ones that were little garden gnomes that lit up.”
He choked on a laugh. “Oh man. I don’t think so.” He set his hand on the small of her back as he followed her around the side of the house in the dark. He leaned in a little closer and the scent of her hair rose in the cool night air, something delicate and floral and feminine. He breathed it in.
Attraction was like a punch to his gut, sucking the air out of his lungs, making his body tighten. He followed her up her front sidewalk to her door. The overhead light shone off her dark hair as she pulled her key out from the small bag she carried.
She turned and smiled up at him, an expectant, knowing smile. “Thanks for dinner.”
“It was fun.”
“Yeah.” Something passed across her eyes. “It was.”
An inexplicable emotion rose up inside him, something he couldn’t name, didn’t really understand. It felt like…tenderness. He didn’t feel sorry for her…she was in no way pitiable. If anything, she was a little intimidating in her confidence and sexy frankness. And yet, once again he had the sense of something beneath the surface that she kept hidden away. He wasn’t sure what it was…yet. But he was going to find out.
She expected him to come in. She thought that’s why he’d walked her home. He could tell.
He moved closer. Her eyes widened a little, her gaze dropping to his mouth. His body responded with a hot surge of blood through his veins. And yet…this wasn’t about sex.
Well. Not all about sex. Sex was definitely part of it. But not all of it.
So he bent his head, his eyelids lowered but not closed, and brushed his mouth over her petal-soft cheek. “Good night.”
He caught the flare of surprise in those amazing lavender eyes as he drew back. He smiled at her and stepped back, waiting for her to enter her house before leaving.
“Um. Yeah. Good night. Thanks again.” She let herself in then closed the door behind her.
He grinned as he jumped down her front steps to the brick sidewalk. There might be a little control battle going on between them, but he’d just had the equivalent of the last word.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to take photographs of Mosaic Cave. It did sound unique and interesting. It sounded even more interesting to go there with Mike, although having ten other
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