“Okay. Yes, thanks.” She walked with him to the door. “I really appreciate it.” She glanced away then back, looking surprisingly shy. “And I really liked kissing you.”
His heart hammered in his chest. “Not nearly as much as I liked kissing you. And no, you weren’t too grabby.” Not grabby enough. He inwardly groaned at thoughts of her hand grabbing him between his legs. “I’d better go.”
“I—”
The dog barked. Hell. Reggie had forgotten Frank.
“I should probably take him with me.”
“For now.” Maggie put her hand on his arm, and the contact heated him all over. “Thanks for everything. But not the kiss. You don’t get thanked for that.”
“What do I get then?”
“If you’re lucky, a repeat.” She winked.
Reggie left with Frank, his dreams filled with Maggie, that damn kitchen counter, and a never-ending dress that stopped him just short of reaching heaven.
***
When Maggie finished her appointment the next day, Reggie was there waiting. Her cast felt heavy, but the sling helped.
“Nice.” He nodded at her arm. “Do I get to sign it?”
She handed him a Sharpie she’d brought with her just for that purpose. “Go for it.”
He wrote his name and, next to it, drew what looked like a circle with eight wavy lines dangling underneath it. Then he added googly eyes.
“What is that?” she asked, confused.
“An octopus, Ms. Grabby.” He grinned.
She blushed. “Oh, stop. It’s not my fault you’re irresistible.”
“That’s my line.”
She smiled and let him lead her back to his car. “Thanks again for taking me. How was lunch with your friend?”
Reggie had spent the time waiting for her since Neal was out of town on vacation. “Oh, uh, fine. He’s a great guy. I met him through work.”
“You must meet all kinds of people.”
They reached the car, and Reggie unlocked it and held the door open for her. She got in, and he realized taking care of her, even doing something small, made him feel good.Easy, let’s not go down the caregiver path again.
He forced himself to relax and got in with her. But their proximity in the car gave him a heady dose of her delicate, floral perfume. The scent went straight to his head…and other parts. He glanced over to see her fiddling with her purse and noticed her lovely breasts. Though not overly large, they were handfuls he’d love to cup. To hold. To kiss. To…Stop it. Take her home.
“Heading back to your place,” he announced, more to himself than her. “I—” Her hand on his thigh stopped him.
“Reggie, would you mind if we went somewhere else? Doug and Benny are taking Emily for me this morning. They’re going to the zoo to give me a break. And, though Doug refuses to admit it, it’s so he can see the alligators. He loves them.” She paused. “Could you drop me off somewhere downtown? I can get a ride home, so you’re not stuck with me.”
“No way. I have the day off and would like nothing more than to chauffeur you around.” He decided to be honest. “Let me do this, or I’ll spend my day staring at my already-clean house. I even dropped Frank at Nadia’s because she insisted. So no need to rush back to take care of the puppy. I’m embarrassed to say I have nothing else to do.”
Instead of poking fun at him, Maggie commiserated. “You’re as bad as I am. When Benny told me they had plans to keep Emily entertained, my first thought was, what will I do with myself?” She shook her head. “I mean, I can really use some me time, don’t get me wrong. But I’m a boring person. What will I do? Heck, what would you do in my place?”
Something in her eyes told him she wanted exactly what he did but didn’t want to admit it.
Her hand on his thigh felt heavy.
Reggie tried desperately to get his mind out of the gutter. “My friends are I are big into board games.”
