cheesesteak dinner flew out the window. “You want me to pick you up at your place this evening, then?”
She seemed to hesitate as she lifted the lid off a box of paperwork. “You sure? I don’t want you to get lost.”
“I can handle it – I’ll give myself some extra time to get there. Then, if I arrive early, I’ll just sit outside in front of your house like an idiot for a while.”
“It’s a date, then.”
He left her to do her job – the hardest thing he’d done all day. No, all week, and that included resisting the urge to look up her skirt on Saturday.
CHAPTER 4
Dinner was a slow, sweet sort of torment. Noah looked just as sexy in a button-up shirt – sleeves pushed up, front not quite buttoned all the way – and jeans as he had in a suit. Wondering how their second official date would end – and where, exactly, they were headed together – was like fantasizing about skipping straight ahead to dessert, dinner be damned.
“So you’ve always lived in Pittsburgh?” Noah asked from across the table, his eyes lingering on hers, reflecting an intensity that belied the casual tone of his voice.
“Yes.” Briefly, her thoughts flashed a half hour into the past, to when Noah had picked her up at her shabby-ish townhouse. “I’ve moved around some, but always within the city.”
Lately, trying to find – and keep – an affordable residence felt like an uphill battle. Zoe, Paul and Britney had only been living in their current townhouse for eighteen months, and already, their landlord had raised the rent twice since their original year-long lease had expired. If it got any higher, there wouldn’t be any way around it – they’d have to look for another home.
It was the second place they’d rented together since they’d placed their father in Azalea Hall two years ago.
“And you like it here?” Noah ran his fingers up the stem of his wine glass – he’d ordered a sweet red for them both – and a frisson zipped down Zoe’s spine as she imagined what it would feel like to have him touch her that way, fingertips lightly brushing her skin, almost massaging.
“Yes. It’s home. Probably always will be, for me. What about you – do you think you’ll like it here?”
So far, things had progressed unconventionally between Zoe and Noah, to say the least. One minute he’d been a sexy stranger coming in for some ink, then he’d been her date, then her boss, and her date again… There was something comforting about making small talk, like people did when they were just getting to know each other. It made the occasion feel distinctly date-like. Then again, so did the look in his eyes.
Her heart sped every time she let her gaze linger on his face, and she felt … wanted. It was nice to have a dinner table between them instead of a counter or a desk.
“Yeah, I think I’m going to like it. The place is growing on me already, now that I’m finally getting my bearings. Didn’t cross one wrong bridge today.” He smiled, sensual lips quirking up on one side, appealingly lopsided. “I could see myself settling down here. My work will eventually mean traveling, of course, but I want a place I can come back to every time – a home.”
Her pulse quickened a little more. A place, huh? What about a person? Home and hearth were important, but so was having someone to return to, to be there for you. Zoe had her family. Who did Noah have, now that he’d relocated? She let her thoughts drift in that direction, wondering if this might just be the start of something serious.
“Well,” she replied, purposely keeping her voice light, “I hope you like the idea of settling down here – you headquartered your business here, after all.”
“That I did.” He shifted in his seat a little, raising his wine glass to his lips. As he took a slow sip, the muscles in his throat rippled, drawing her gaze down to the notch of his shirt collar, where his skin – heavily inked and hard not to stare at
She seemed to hesitate as she lifted the lid off a box of paperwork. “You sure? I don’t want you to get lost.”
“I can handle it – I’ll give myself some extra time to get there. Then, if I arrive early, I’ll just sit outside in front of your house like an idiot for a while.”
“It’s a date, then.”
He left her to do her job – the hardest thing he’d done all day. No, all week, and that included resisting the urge to look up her skirt on Saturday.
CHAPTER 4
Dinner was a slow, sweet sort of torment. Noah looked just as sexy in a button-up shirt – sleeves pushed up, front not quite buttoned all the way – and jeans as he had in a suit. Wondering how their second official date would end – and where, exactly, they were headed together – was like fantasizing about skipping straight ahead to dessert, dinner be damned.
“So you’ve always lived in Pittsburgh?” Noah asked from across the table, his eyes lingering on hers, reflecting an intensity that belied the casual tone of his voice.
“Yes.” Briefly, her thoughts flashed a half hour into the past, to when Noah had picked her up at her shabby-ish townhouse. “I’ve moved around some, but always within the city.”
Lately, trying to find – and keep – an affordable residence felt like an uphill battle. Zoe, Paul and Britney had only been living in their current townhouse for eighteen months, and already, their landlord had raised the rent twice since their original year-long lease had expired. If it got any higher, there wouldn’t be any way around it – they’d have to look for another home.
It was the second place they’d rented together since they’d placed their father in Azalea Hall two years ago.
“And you like it here?” Noah ran his fingers up the stem of his wine glass – he’d ordered a sweet red for them both – and a frisson zipped down Zoe’s spine as she imagined what it would feel like to have him touch her that way, fingertips lightly brushing her skin, almost massaging.
“Yes. It’s home. Probably always will be, for me. What about you – do you think you’ll like it here?”
So far, things had progressed unconventionally between Zoe and Noah, to say the least. One minute he’d been a sexy stranger coming in for some ink, then he’d been her date, then her boss, and her date again… There was something comforting about making small talk, like people did when they were just getting to know each other. It made the occasion feel distinctly date-like. Then again, so did the look in his eyes.
Her heart sped every time she let her gaze linger on his face, and she felt … wanted. It was nice to have a dinner table between them instead of a counter or a desk.
“Yeah, I think I’m going to like it. The place is growing on me already, now that I’m finally getting my bearings. Didn’t cross one wrong bridge today.” He smiled, sensual lips quirking up on one side, appealingly lopsided. “I could see myself settling down here. My work will eventually mean traveling, of course, but I want a place I can come back to every time – a home.”
Her pulse quickened a little more. A place, huh? What about a person? Home and hearth were important, but so was having someone to return to, to be there for you. Zoe had her family. Who did Noah have, now that he’d relocated? She let her thoughts drift in that direction, wondering if this might just be the start of something serious.
“Well,” she replied, purposely keeping her voice light, “I hope you like the idea of settling down here – you headquartered your business here, after all.”
“That I did.” He shifted in his seat a little, raising his wine glass to his lips. As he took a slow sip, the muscles in his throat rippled, drawing her gaze down to the notch of his shirt collar, where his skin – heavily inked and hard not to stare at
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