And then he winked, the annoying, infuriating, aggravating, flirty bastard.
She huffed out a breath, grinding her teeth to keep from saying anything. Mac’s interest in their exchange had already been piqued, and she didn’t try to hide it as she studied the two of them. Great, that was all Rory needed—she’d finally gotten some action, but now her sister was hot on her trail like a bloodhound.
Hoping to serve as a distraction, she stood abruptly, nearly knocking her chair over. “Mac, we should head out for lunch if we wanna beat the noon crowd.”
“That’s why I stopped by, actually.” Mac stood and grabbed her purse. “Finn asked me if I could come in early because someone called in sick. Rain check?”
“Oh. Well.” Rory curled her fingers into fists at her side, forcibly lowering herself back into her chair. “A rain check is fine. Just let me know when.”
“All right.” Mac shot a look to Nash before settling her gaze back on Rory, her brow furrowed. “You okay?”
“Me? Course I am! Everything’s right as rain.”
“If you say so.” Mac punched Nash in the shoulder. “Y’all have fun. Gimme a call when you get off.”
Too shocked, Rory couldn’t tame the high-pitched squeak that came out of her mouth. “What?”
Shit, shit, shit. Mac was like frickin’ Nancy Drew, sleuthing out illicit affairs after only fifteen minutes in the presence of the sinners. Why was she wasting her talents bartending at The Willow Tree when she obviously should open her own detective agency?
Mac shot her a look that very clearly saidWhat the fuck? “Yeahhh… A call? On the phone? When you get off work? Any of these words ringin’ a bell for ya?”
“Oh, right. Sure, I will. Soon as I get—um, soon as I leave.”
“Oooookay, then. Bye, y’all.”
When Mac disappeared around the corner, Rory glared at Nash, all the things she wanted to tell him running through her mind. Like, he shouldn’t be in her office, he should’ve warned her he was stopping by, he should’ve behaved like a respectable human being instead of the shameless ass he seemed to excel at. But she’d be damned if she broke the silence first.
“That’s too bad about your lunch plans,” he said.
“Did you need something, or did you come by just to drive me up a flippin’ wall?”
He smiled, the jerk. “I’d intended to get a building permit application from you, but my plans seem to have changed.”
“And how’s that? You got here and decided it’d be more fun to mess with my head?”
He dropped his leg and leaned forward, bracing his forearms on her desk. “No, actually,” he said, his voice low and rumbly enough to make her nipples perk up. He’d sounded just like that when he’d woken her up at four this morning with his mouth between her thighs. “I got here, saw all that pretty hair tumblin’ down your back, and now I can’t stop thinkin’ about what it’d look like all wrapped up in my fist while I fuck you.”
As if he’d conjured the image straight into her mind, it flickered to life immediately, and the heat between her legs that’d been a near constant since he’d arrived bloomed hotter. “Nash.”
His gaze never wavered, his eyes speaking all the things he wanted to do to her without him ever having to say a word. “Yeah, that’s another thing I can’t stop thinkin’ about—how you say my name when I’m inside you.”
“Nash King, that’senough,” she hissed. “My daddy’s in the other room! You can’t just come into my place of business and start talkin’ to me like—”
“Thanks for your help, Rory, but I better get goin’,” he said, loud enough to be heard in half the offices in town hall. “I’ve only got a bit of time before I’ve gotta be on my next job. I wanna grab something to eat while I’ve got a chance.” He raised his eyebrow in silent question, his head tipped toward the parking lot. “Hopefully my favorite’s on the menu today.”
Oh my heavens… Was that her overactive imagination working and spinning his words into something dirty? Or was he actually talking about…havingherfor lunch?
He leaned toward her, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “What do you say, princess? Wanna see how much fun you can have in an hour?”
What did she say?What did she say?She said this was ludicrous behavior. It was something she absolutely did not do. She didn’t engage in…afternoon delights or whatever they were called. She’d never been ravenous enough for someone to stop everything she was doing just to run home and have sex in the middle of the day.
But then again, before last night, she’d never had a man look at or touch her the way he had. Never had a man worship her body as if he’d been sinning for years and was desperate for redemption.
She swallowed down her apprehension and her automatic retorts. She was bound and determined to make this the year of the new Rory. And this was definitely something new.
She reached into her bottom drawer and pulled out her purse. Stood and smoothed her hands down the front of her pressed button-down and fitted pencil skirt. She sidestepped her desk, her head held high as she strolled to her office door.
Over her shoulder, she said, “I’m headed home for lunch, but I do hope you get what you’re cravin’.”
