“This is Vee,” Michael interrupted. He slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her against his side. She was either too shocked or angry to say anything, because the confused look on her face told him she was definitely questioning what the hell he was up to. “She’s my date.”
Spending a decade as a Philadelphia police detective, adapting to the unexpected was second nature to Michael. Just like before, when she’d stumbled on her stone path and landed in his arms, he was knocked off his game. The feel of her pressed against him set off all sorts of bombs in his head and his body that were so damn inappropriate he probably should consider locking himself up.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Adam chimed in as his gaze passed between Michael and Vanessa. “Damn, man. If you’d told me that, I wouldn’t have barged in like this.” Fortunately, she was still looking up into Michael’s face, so Adam wasn’t privy to the bewilderment currently settled in her eyes.
“Do you tell me about every date you have?” When Adam opened his mouth to speak, Michael cut him off with, “Beforehand?”
Accepting his friend had him caught in the crosshairs of the truth, Adam nodded his head as a sly smile crept on his face. “A-ight, man. You got me there. I’ll get out of your way. Vee, it was lovely meeting you, no matter how briefly.” He stepped backward and headed toward the door before Vanessa could answer. He opened it and tossed out, “Do me a favor and save me some of that lasagna for lunch tomorrow.”
“Get out, Adam, and don’t forget to lock my door.”
His friend gave him a pointed look before smiling and closingthe door behind him. It wasn’t until Michael heard the last lock tumbler click into place that he realized he was still holding Vanessa against him, as if she really belonged to him.
It was certainly a fantasy his overactive imagination wanted to feed into. Eventually, though, common sense won out and he uncurled his fingers from her hip slowly as he separated his body from hers.
“I’m sorry.”
She regarded him carefully, and he couldn’t decipher what she was thinking. Was she mad, intrigued? He couldn’t tell.
“I don’t want anyone to know about you.”
She lifted a brow and tilted her head. “Come again?”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I didn’t mean that to sound as salacious as it did. I meant I don’t want to give Karl a chance to get a story together. It’s best if no one knows your true identity and your relationship to Karl.”
“What about Hannah? She knows who I am.”
“How did you register?”
“Under V. Jared.”
“And the name on the credit card you used to hold the reservation?”
“The same.”
He shook his head. “It’s really not safe to use just your first initial on your financial documents. Identity theft is real and you’re making it easy for scammers.”
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms before huffing out a loud breath. “Thank you for the security tip, Officer. Now can we eat?”
He chuckled as he pulled a chair out for her and went to take his seat next to her at the small kitchenette set in his breakfast nook. Still smiling as he watched her carefully unfold her napkin and gracefully place it across her lap, he couldn’t help but continue to be tickled by what seemed to be the opposing parts of her personality.
She was proper and came with a distinct whiff of the pedigree her background afforded her. The underlying realness that slipped beneath her well-crafted veneer stoked his interest, making him ache to claw at her perfect, unmarred surface until he unearthed the real her.
“So, will any more unexpected guests be dropping by? Did you have to explain my presence to anyone before I arrived?”
He served her a healthy square of the lasagna and did the same for himself before answering her.
“Is that your roundabout way of asking me if I have a girlfriend?”
She shrugged. “Girlfriend, boyfriend, friend with benefits.” She waved the fork in her hand casually in the air. “I’m not here to judge. I just want to make sure I don’t make unnecessary enemies while I’m trying to execute this unorthodox plan of yours.”
She looked down at her plate and pretended to focus on her food.
Well, well. Maybe I’m not the only one thinking inappropriate thoughts.
“I haven’t dated anyone seriously since I came back home to raise my sister a decade ago.”
She still wouldn’t bring her eyes to meet his, but he could see by the way the muscles in the side of her neck contracted that she was definitely paying attention to what he was saying.
