My head shot up.“Daire!What are you doing here?”
His lips curved into a sweet smile.“Are you ever going to greet me any other way?So far I’m not allowed to be at your parents’, the beach, and now here?”
My mouth opened and closed.Opened and closed.What was it about this particular man that had me swallowing my tongue?I pulled up ‘professional Harley’.
I shook my head and smiled.“I apologize.For whatever reason, I’m always a little surprised to see you.Honestly, I’m even surprised when Noelle or Hawk drop in, and they work here.”
“Yeah?And why is that?”
I cocked my head to the side.“Why do they work here?”
He chuckled.“No.Why does it surprise you when they drop in?Are you going to invite me to sit down?”
“Of course.I’m so sorry.Come on in.Can I grab you a coffee?”
I jumped up and crossed to my selection of coffee pods.“I also have green tea, Earl Grey, or hot chocolate if you prefer?”
“What are you having?”
I laughed.“If you have to ask, you don’t know me very well.I’m having hot chocolate.”
“I’ll have the same.”
“Really?I don’t picture you as a hot chocolate kind of guy.”
“I have a wide variety of tastes.Hot chocolate is definitely one of them.”
A wide variety of tastes.
My thoughts raced straight for the gutter as I stood fixing our drinks with my back to him.Was he looking at my butt?Did I look okay?
I spun around quickly and caught him in the act.
He grinned.“Caught me.”
I couldn’t help but laugh.I shook my head.“Well, did you like the view?”I asked lightly.
“Love it,” he replied seriously.
I snorted and carried our mugs over to my desk.“I think I’m about seven inches shorter and two sizes larger than your usual.”
His eyes widened.It was the first time I’d seen him in any way disconcerted.“My usual?”
“Yeah,” I replied, wondering why that took him aback.“I saw you out with Natalia at The Beaver Dam.”
His eyes skittered back and forth for a moment then he brightened.“The bitchy blond?”
I laughed.“Yeah.That’s the one.Noelle said if your taste was in your mouth you’d poison yourself.”
“Noelle said that?”
“Mhm.”
“Interesting.”
“Why is that interesting?”
He studied me for a moment, then seemed to come to a decision.“It’s interesting that not one of you gave me the rundown about who to avoid.”
