mounds.
“Very nice,” he murmured.
She closed the locket with a click and let the pendant drop into the shadowy valley between her breasts. He fought the urge to dive in after it. Instead, he forced himself to raise his gaze back to her face.
Even in the dark, aided by the glow of the streetlights, he could see that once again her cheeks were flushed. It intrigued him and he stroked her face tenderly with his fingertips, delighting in the heat emanating from her skin.
“Did I embarrass you?” he whispered.
She shook her head.
He let his hand slip from her cheek to brush against her lips, delighting in the way her whole body shuddered at the touch.
Her tongue snaked out and licked his finger and it was his turn to be rocked by sensation.
Then, as though she realized she was playing with fire, she pulled back, stepping out of his embrace. She cleared her throat and smoothed her dress over her hips.
“I’m not giving up on my dream,” Jane declared, resolutely returning to their earlier topic of conversation as though they hadn’t just come this close to having mind-blowing sex on the hood of his car. “I saved up the money for it once and I’ll do it again, by hook or by crook.”
A niggle of doubt whispered to Tom through the sensual haze that thrummed through him as he remembered that Jane was his main suspect.
“Pet sitting can be a lucrative business. But enough about me, tell me why you decided to open a gym.”
The volume of the whisper in his head increased. He would have liked to have ignored it, but he’d been fooled once by a beautiful woman, it wouldn’t happen again.
Chapter 11
Jane had mixed feelings the next morning as she headed to a meeting with Ruby, who’d called and said she had a pet-sitting job for her.
Her date with Tom the night before had been strange. At the beginning, when they’d been driving around in his little sports car, she’d felt like they were really connected, but as soon as she’d asked him about his business, he seemed to take a step back.
She’d tried to convince herself it was because he was uncomfortable talking about himself, but she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling he was hiding something. She knew about boyfriends with secrets. She knew first-hand the damage they could do, and so she too had retreated.
Their dinner had been polite, but reserved, each caught up in their own thoughts. He’d taken her straight home afterward and she’d known it was their last date. Still, he’d insisted on walking her to her front door.
She’d thanked him for a nice evening and unlocked her door, not counting on Calamity, who usually hid in the kitchen when she came home, to bound out, tripping her.
Jane would have fallen if Tom hadn’t grabbed her from behind. Hauling off her feet with an arm snaked around her waist, he pressed her against his chest for a beat too long before lowering her to the ground.
She turned to thank him for saving her, but never got the words out because he’d cradled her face between his hands and kissed her. Thoroughly.
And she’d kissed him back. With abandon.
And then he’d released her and stumbled back to his car as though putting as much distance between them as possible was a matter of life and death.
She’d leaned weakly against the doorjamb, watching him go, wondering if she’d ever see him again.
Reaching the address Ruby had given her, Jane gave herself a mental shake. She needed to focus on the job at hand.
She rang the bell and waited.
A moment later, Ruby, looking a bit flustered, opened the door. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
Jane expected to be invited in, but Ruby had other plans. Pushing past Jane, she pulled the door shut behind her and hurried away from the house.
After a stunned moment, Jane chased after her.
“I promised Mrs. Ciafonne I’d take care of her dog while she’s in the hospital, but I just don’t have the time.” She marched up the front walk of her
“Very nice,” he murmured.
She closed the locket with a click and let the pendant drop into the shadowy valley between her breasts. He fought the urge to dive in after it. Instead, he forced himself to raise his gaze back to her face.
Even in the dark, aided by the glow of the streetlights, he could see that once again her cheeks were flushed. It intrigued him and he stroked her face tenderly with his fingertips, delighting in the heat emanating from her skin.
“Did I embarrass you?” he whispered.
She shook her head.
He let his hand slip from her cheek to brush against her lips, delighting in the way her whole body shuddered at the touch.
Her tongue snaked out and licked his finger and it was his turn to be rocked by sensation.
Then, as though she realized she was playing with fire, she pulled back, stepping out of his embrace. She cleared her throat and smoothed her dress over her hips.
“I’m not giving up on my dream,” Jane declared, resolutely returning to their earlier topic of conversation as though they hadn’t just come this close to having mind-blowing sex on the hood of his car. “I saved up the money for it once and I’ll do it again, by hook or by crook.”
A niggle of doubt whispered to Tom through the sensual haze that thrummed through him as he remembered that Jane was his main suspect.
“Pet sitting can be a lucrative business. But enough about me, tell me why you decided to open a gym.”
The volume of the whisper in his head increased. He would have liked to have ignored it, but he’d been fooled once by a beautiful woman, it wouldn’t happen again.
Chapter 11
Jane had mixed feelings the next morning as she headed to a meeting with Ruby, who’d called and said she had a pet-sitting job for her.
Her date with Tom the night before had been strange. At the beginning, when they’d been driving around in his little sports car, she’d felt like they were really connected, but as soon as she’d asked him about his business, he seemed to take a step back.
She’d tried to convince herself it was because he was uncomfortable talking about himself, but she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling he was hiding something. She knew about boyfriends with secrets. She knew first-hand the damage they could do, and so she too had retreated.
Their dinner had been polite, but reserved, each caught up in their own thoughts. He’d taken her straight home afterward and she’d known it was their last date. Still, he’d insisted on walking her to her front door.
She’d thanked him for a nice evening and unlocked her door, not counting on Calamity, who usually hid in the kitchen when she came home, to bound out, tripping her.
Jane would have fallen if Tom hadn’t grabbed her from behind. Hauling off her feet with an arm snaked around her waist, he pressed her against his chest for a beat too long before lowering her to the ground.
She turned to thank him for saving her, but never got the words out because he’d cradled her face between his hands and kissed her. Thoroughly.
And she’d kissed him back. With abandon.
And then he’d released her and stumbled back to his car as though putting as much distance between them as possible was a matter of life and death.
She’d leaned weakly against the doorjamb, watching him go, wondering if she’d ever see him again.
Reaching the address Ruby had given her, Jane gave herself a mental shake. She needed to focus on the job at hand.
She rang the bell and waited.
A moment later, Ruby, looking a bit flustered, opened the door. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.”
Jane expected to be invited in, but Ruby had other plans. Pushing past Jane, she pulled the door shut behind her and hurried away from the house.
After a stunned moment, Jane chased after her.
“I promised Mrs. Ciafonne I’d take care of her dog while she’s in the hospital, but I just don’t have the time.” She marched up the front walk of her
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