running through his head as sat in his office and tried to get some work done. First, the one that he couldn’t get out of his head was that Rosie hadn’t been wearing a bra. She’d been in her pjs so he wouldn’t think she would be, but he also hadn’t thought he’d be palming her round firm breasts either. With just the thin material of her T-shirt between them he’d felt the way she reacted to his touch, just before she’d tensed up in that instance of panic.
He’d felt it too. That moment when the contact was too intimate, yet not enough at the same time. Wanting more. Needing to end the feeling before it went any further. Doing the right thing had never been harder. With the way she tore out of the house not long after the incident he didn’t have to wonder if Rosie was as flustered as he felt. Still she could have at least given him a chance to apologize.
That brought him to the second thought, which was more of a question. Was she going to run every time they ran into a problem? For any two people getting to know each other they were going to have a few rough spots. He really hoped that she wasn’t the type to run at the slightest snag, because he wasn’t the type to hold back to keep the peace.
If something bothered him he’d say so. He expected her to do the same. Six months was too long to be walking on eggshells. Tiptoeing around each other wasn’t his idea of the best way to start a relationship, even if it was just business. Since Teddy wanted them to be more than associates they were going to have to be honest and put themselves on the line to make things work.
A door slammed somewhere and Dade got to his feet. It was about damn time she got back. Seriously where the hell could she have gone for three hours? He got up and walked to the office window. Rosie was leaning into the trunk of her car. The colorful flirty short skirt she wore barely covered her ass. Dade swallowed hard as he let his gaze roam over her. Slowly he moved down her thighs to her shapely calves ending at her ankles and another pair of those damn shoes.
She pulled out a shiny red bag with a fancy logo on it. Shopping he should’ve guessed. She leaned back into the trunk, but came out empty handed. He watched as she lowered the bag and carefully set it on the ground. Rosie lifted one leg and put her knee on the bumper and stretched further into the car. What the hell! Was she going to climb in to get what she wanted? Dade wasn’t about to let her get hurt on his watch. He didn’t run, but he moved damn quickly.
“Are you trying to hurt yourself?” Dade grabbed her by her hips and lifted her off the car.
She gasped as he set her on her feet. “No. I was doing just fine you know.”
“Yeah, I could see that.” He turned to the car expecting to find bags from the local boutiques and shops, instead there were bags of groceries. “Not happy with what I chose?”
“We’re having company for dinner tonight.” She picked up the bag from the ground and held out her arm for one of the three in the trunk.
He handed it to her and grabbed the others. “We?”
“I was hoping you’d join me and my friends. They need to see everything is okay here so that they won’t worry too much about me.” She headed for the house and he followed.
“Is everything okay?” He wasn’t so sure.
“We’ve gotten off to a rocky start, but I’m sure things will get easier. Especially now that the entire world thinks we’re a couple in love.” The smile she flashed his way made him hope she was right.
He put the bags on the counter and stepped out of her way as she began to unpack them. “I never said anything about love. People can live together without being in anything more than like.”
“I’ve done my best to keep from being linked to anyone so since you’ve broken my streak love will probably be the word getting tossed around. I was thinking we could just call and demand a retraction—”
Dade didn’t let her finish
He’d felt it too. That moment when the contact was too intimate, yet not enough at the same time. Wanting more. Needing to end the feeling before it went any further. Doing the right thing had never been harder. With the way she tore out of the house not long after the incident he didn’t have to wonder if Rosie was as flustered as he felt. Still she could have at least given him a chance to apologize.
That brought him to the second thought, which was more of a question. Was she going to run every time they ran into a problem? For any two people getting to know each other they were going to have a few rough spots. He really hoped that she wasn’t the type to run at the slightest snag, because he wasn’t the type to hold back to keep the peace.
If something bothered him he’d say so. He expected her to do the same. Six months was too long to be walking on eggshells. Tiptoeing around each other wasn’t his idea of the best way to start a relationship, even if it was just business. Since Teddy wanted them to be more than associates they were going to have to be honest and put themselves on the line to make things work.
A door slammed somewhere and Dade got to his feet. It was about damn time she got back. Seriously where the hell could she have gone for three hours? He got up and walked to the office window. Rosie was leaning into the trunk of her car. The colorful flirty short skirt she wore barely covered her ass. Dade swallowed hard as he let his gaze roam over her. Slowly he moved down her thighs to her shapely calves ending at her ankles and another pair of those damn shoes.
She pulled out a shiny red bag with a fancy logo on it. Shopping he should’ve guessed. She leaned back into the trunk, but came out empty handed. He watched as she lowered the bag and carefully set it on the ground. Rosie lifted one leg and put her knee on the bumper and stretched further into the car. What the hell! Was she going to climb in to get what she wanted? Dade wasn’t about to let her get hurt on his watch. He didn’t run, but he moved damn quickly.
“Are you trying to hurt yourself?” Dade grabbed her by her hips and lifted her off the car.
She gasped as he set her on her feet. “No. I was doing just fine you know.”
“Yeah, I could see that.” He turned to the car expecting to find bags from the local boutiques and shops, instead there were bags of groceries. “Not happy with what I chose?”
“We’re having company for dinner tonight.” She picked up the bag from the ground and held out her arm for one of the three in the trunk.
He handed it to her and grabbed the others. “We?”
“I was hoping you’d join me and my friends. They need to see everything is okay here so that they won’t worry too much about me.” She headed for the house and he followed.
“Is everything okay?” He wasn’t so sure.
“We’ve gotten off to a rocky start, but I’m sure things will get easier. Especially now that the entire world thinks we’re a couple in love.” The smile she flashed his way made him hope she was right.
He put the bags on the counter and stepped out of her way as she began to unpack them. “I never said anything about love. People can live together without being in anything more than like.”
“I’ve done my best to keep from being linked to anyone so since you’ve broken my streak love will probably be the word getting tossed around. I was thinking we could just call and demand a retraction—”
Dade didn’t let her finish
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