“Of course. Diane is very thorough about vetting them.”
“All right. I’ll talk to her and see if I can throw some work their way too,” he said, then ran his hand gently along her arm. “Thank you for wanting to help. It means a lot to me.”
He was starting to mean a lot to her, and that was scary. True feelings were more than she’d bargained for when she masterminded this week-long affair. That’s why she had to stick to her guns, and be over and out after their one date. She’d miss him too much—their friendship and their fun—if they turned serious and then fell to pieces, as they surely would.
At the very least, though, she’d let herself fully enjoy their last night together. The week had neared its end, and she’d promised him one real date. They’d go out with a bang.
Chapter Ten
The restaurant overlooked the town square, tables spilling out onto the sidewalk, and tourists strolled by, weaving in and out of the shops, as they talked throughout the meal—he told her some of his favorite stories about absurd calls he’d gone on for the fire department, and she shared some of her silliest bar tales. She also let him know that she’d talked to Diane, who was eager to help him find some good hires, and wanted to chat on the phone with him tomorrow about next steps.
He was going to need to convince her that there would be a tomorrow for them.
As the waiter cleared their plates, Smith gestured to the square where some kids were playing frisbee, couples sat on benches, and a statue of the Hidden Oaks founder presided over it all. “Soon, you’ll be able to dunk me there.”
“Damn straight. You know you’re going down,” she joked.
He leaned in closer to her, trailing his fingers down her bare arm in the way he knew made her shiver. “Speaking of going down, I don’t believe we’ve added that to our repertoire yet,” he whispered in her ear. He knew he was supposed to be serious, but hell, he loved teasing her. He adored flirting with her. He could not resist being playful.
“Smith,” she chided. “There are kids around.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to do it here. Unless you want me to.”
“No. Not here. But aren’t we going to a movie? You know, the whole real date thing.”
“We had dinner. I can take you to a movie, or I can take you. And I can have you.”
“You know you can have me that way. I’m just glad I have you all to myself for this week.”
“You can have any part of me all to yourself.”
She rolled her eyes. “Always innuendo with you.”
“I can do innuendo or I can be in you.” He turned serious then, because that’s what she needed. “Jamie, I want you this week and every week. We’ve had a great date, haven’t we?”
She bit her lip briefly, then nodded. “Yes,” she said, as if she were admitting something difficult.
“I knew we would. We’re good together, aren’t we?”
“Smith,” she said, as if his name was a warning.
“What? We have. It’s just a fact of life. And the sooner you admit it, the better off we’ll be. Go to the festival with me. On another date.”
She laughed. “How about I just kiss you right now?” She placed her hands on his cheeks and captured his mouth with hers, like she was staking her claim to him. She gave him the kind of hard and hungry kiss that he liked to bestow on her, and it was as if the world had gone dark and she was all there was. He was swimming in her scent, in the fragrance of her neck, the sweet taste of her mouth, the fruity smell of shampoo in her hair. She was so pretty, so feminine, and so forward in the way she was owning their kiss in public. He shivered as her fingernails traced lines in his hair, as her tongue darted in and out of his mouth. She sucked on his bottom lip, lightly grazing her teeth into him. Then she stopped and nibbled on his ear, little flicks on his earlobe that made him growl. He slipped his hands underneath her shirt, pressing his palms against the small of her back. Her skin was so hot, and so was his, and he could no longer hold a single thought in his head that didn’t have to do with getting her naked.
“Let’s skip that movie,” she said.
“If you insist on skipping the date part…”
“I do insist. I want you.”
“Those are my three favorite words. Wait. So are these: I live closer,” he said.
“Your house. Now.”
Fifteen minutes later, they’d barely made it inside his home when she grabbed the waistband of his jeans and claimed his mouth again. Damn, she was a feisty one. He wanted to thank his lucky stars, because who would have thought that she’d be his perfect match in and out of the bedroom? He sure hoped she was seeing it too, from the way they chatted and had a good time, to this.
She pressed her lips against his in some kind of sweet devouring and trailed her hands down his shirt, yanking it loose from his jeans. She danced her fingertips across his stomach.
“I’m going to do my laundry on your abs.” She mimed rubbing fabric across his midsection.
“You can use me any way you want,” he teased, and even though he knew he needed to win her on all accounts, his body was in overdrive with desire right now. For her. “But I’m going to do something to you right now that I’m pretty sure you like a lot,” he said, and kissed her back lightly, sliding the tip of his tongue across her lips in a way that made it clear what he planned to do next. “I love it when you ask for it. Will you ask for it?”