Desire curled within her, as it did whenever he looked at her with that knowing gleam in his eyes. He saw past her defenses and knew exactly how he tempted her. “It’s still not a good idea.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Positive. Granny’s a matchmaker. Her comments prove she’s paving the way hoping we’ll end up together. When that doesn’t happen, she’ll be bitterly disappointed. Do you want that on your conscience?”
“Good argument, wrong premise. She’s determined to find me a wife, but if you don’t work out she won’t waste time being bitterly disappointed. She’ll move on to the next candidate.”
“Oh.” One argument down, but she had more. “She’s not the only person who’d like to see us become a couple. If there’s even a hint that might happen, my folks would get their hopes up. It’s why I almost didn’t make this trip.”
That clearly shocked him. “Because of me?”
“Because of the whole setup. While no one’s pressuring me to move, they would love it if I did. Last night at dinner Mom and Dad suggested I could go remote and use their air miles whenever I need to fly back East.”
“Would that be so bad?”
“Yes. Square Glasses Press is a small, intimate operation so I’m not just editing manuscripts. I’m in on all of it — cover designs, launch dates, marketing strategies. We brainstorm stuffand gather in the conference room on the spur-of-the-moment. I’d miss out on a lot.”
“You love it there.”
“I do.”
He sighed. “I can’t argue with that. I feel the same about the ranch. If writing ends up making me a lot of money and I could live anywhere, I still wouldn’t leave.”
“Which means you need to find a woman who loves it like you do.”
“Excellent point.”
“That’s not me.”
“Ah, but the place is growing on you.”
“Sure it is. The setting’s magnificent and the people are great.”
“Including yours truly?”
She gazed at him. If only he didn’t look so damn sexy standing there, his hat cocked at a rakish angle, a half-smile tilting his talented mouth. “No comment.”
“You won’t let yourself like me.”
“Because you’re a pain in the ass.”
“That may be, but I guarantee I can find your G-spot.”
“Stop it.” Warmth cascaded through her, finding all her secret places.
“What if we agree we’re not meant for each other and we’ll just have sex because it’ll feel good?”
“That’s what Sara told herself when she met Kieran and you see how that turned out.”
“You’re not Sara. You’re made of sterner stuff.”
“I’m not having an affair with you, Rance.”
“Tell you what. Don’t decide yet.”
“I’ve already decided and the answer is no.” It had to be. If she stepped too close to the fire, she’d get burned.
“What if, after you finish the book, you come over for a Granny-cooked dinner so the three of us can discuss it and also plan how we’re going to do the big reveal for the family.”
