Dangerous.
Alluring to all my senses.
“You’re turn,” he says, wiping at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Can’t have the boss passing out, so those three guys are running over here and tripping on themselves to fawn over you.”
“Is that your way of saying you don’t want to share me?”
“Yes,” he drawls without hesitation, and all openness of what he’s thinking or has thought about since seeing me.
It’s mutual.
And I don’t know how to navigate or make it grow.
Taking the water to give myself something to do other than answering, I take a sip, then another, and mystery mulch man watches me the whole time as if it’s the most fascinating thing he’s seen all day.
“What’s a guy gotta do to take you out?” he remarks out of nowhere, giving me immediate pause because my brain doesn’t pick it up right away until it does. Then I start internally freaking out.
Iwanthim to take me out.
But I’m so busy that I don’t want to give the impression that I’m blowing him off all the time. I blow my best friend, Nettie, off as it is with all the overtime and non-profit projects I’m trying to fund and get off the ground.
I’m interested, but I don’t think I can commit.
“They have to finish planting begonias,” I manage quickly to buy myself some time. “Then…I may be open for dinner.”
He bows his head and erases some of the space between us. “You look like a girl who loves desserts.”
“I do. Except dark chocolate.”
“It’s good for you.”
“Probably why Idon’t like it.”
This time, he smiles with teeth and everything before he bows and begins retreating backward. “I’ll be back to determine that time and day. Don’t talk to anyone while I’m gone.”
I lift my shoulders as if I’ve been beating them off with a stick since I arrived. “I’ll try.”
“Try hard,” he stresses, allowing his green gaze to descend on my body. “I don’t share. And I’d definitely fight for it.”
Chapter 11
Meirna
Bronte left the room over an hour ago, leaving me alone to stew in everything he said.
Everything I know.
Everything I should’ve known.
Everything that didn’t make sense, but I wanted it to.
If I go back and think about the first day I metBobby, he was exactly how Bronte is now.
A bit broody.
Short answers.
Semi-charming.
