She brought her free hand up and removed my finger but held on to my hand. “I guess I see your point.”
“Good,” I said, my voice low. “Because I’ve wanted you since the day I walked into that building with a clipboard and found you ready to stab me with your keys.”
That pulled a reluctant smile from her. “You did look suspicious.”
I chuckled, holding her gaze. “Age doesn’t matter. Titles don’t matter. Mina, I want you. That’s the problem. I don’t just want this job, I wantyou.”
Her breath hitched, and a long silence stretched, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Finally, she shook her head. “You scare me. My feelings scare me.”
I untangled one hand from hers to skim my fingers over her cheek. “Ditto.” A soft smile lit my face. “Maybe if we’re both scared, that means this is real.”
Her tremulous smile set a quiver of need through my veins.
“Yeah. Maybe.” Her words were nearly a whisper.
I leaned closer, needing to taste her lips. “You should know, I’m not going anywhere. Not unless you tell me to walk away.”
For a long beat, she didn’t say anything. But then a slow, sexy smile appeared on her lovely face. “Well, don’t do anything stupid and maybe I’ll let you stick around.”
The laugh that bubbled free only just made it past my lips before she cut it off with a fierce kiss.
Groaning, I speared my fingers into her dark hair and clutched her close. I wanted to take her keys from her and letus inside, where I could ravish her before we made it past the entryway.
But I’d meant what I said when we left Claire and Ozzie’s.
Ripping my mouth away, I rested my forehead against hers, breathing hard. “I didn’t follow you home just to get into your bed.”
“I know.” She stroked my face with her fingertips, nearly derailing my thoughts.
Swallowing hard, I lifted my head. “If we’re going to make this work, it needs to be about more than sex.” With a monumental effort, I stepped back. “So, on that note, I’m going home. But”—I tapped her nose—“you and I are going on a date tomorrow.”
Her brows dipped. “What if I’m busy?”
I returned her frown, considering that. “Are you?”
She grinned. “No.”
I laughed. “Tease.” Pecking a quick kiss on her lips, I backed away. “Seven o’clock tomorrow evening. I’ll pick you up. Wear something comfortable. Not fancy.” While I had no doubt she would look amazing all dressed up, I had a feeling that, like me, she preferred comfort over fashion. A low-key dinner somewhere and hunting for sea glass on the beach felt like a perfect date.
CHAPTER 15
Luke
That same tremulous feeling from our pizza date settled into my gut as I got out of my truck in Mina’s driveway the next evening. I swiped my clammy hands over my jeans and tried to tamp down the feeling. This case of the nerves both made sense but didn’t. It wasn’t our first date. Not really. Maybe our first official one but considering we’d had pizza together and I’d touched and kissed every square inch of her body while we blew each other’s minds, tonight should be a cake walk.
But there was a lot riding on this date. Our entire future hinged on tonight.
Reaching her front door, I swiped my hands down my pant legs once more, then knocked on the crisp white wood.
Seconds later, it swung inward, and just like that, Mina stole my breath.
Dressed in khaki shorts and a dusky pink shirt, she had her dark hair pulled back from her face. A bright smile graced her lips. “Hi.”
I felt an answering smile spread over my mouth. “Hey. You ready?”
“Yes. Just let me?—”
