How would it feel to hand his crown to another?
A shadow fell over her spot on the grass.“Hey, that’s my little buddy!”
So much for being able to hide.
Nick towered over her, grinning at the pics of Mortimer on her laptop.He was covered in drywall dust.Even his hair was chalky.
On any other man, she wouldn’t have considered it a good look.
On him, it caused a low thrum deep in her core.
Maybe it was because she immediately envisioned him in a shower, washing off all the dust.He would shampoo his hair, getting all lathered up, and the bubbles would travel down his body, kissing everything from his head to his toes…
He crouched next to her, which wasn’t good, because at such close range she could make out every small speck of dust.It made her want to do something wacky, like brushing it off his skin.
Claire cleared her throat.“I’m sending out our weekly newsletter.Mortimer always gets top billing.He’s a bit of a celebrity in my world.”
“Of course.”Now that Nick had made friends with the cat, he couldn’t stop talking about his new pal.He’d come back to help with the morning feeding a couple of times.Lacey had even caught some of it on camera.“Hey, check out my cell phone wallpaper!”
Claire laughed when he showed her.Sure enough, he had used the photo of him and Mortimer.“You’re hilarious.”
“What?I like making you laugh.”
And just like that, the atmosphere between them grew hotter, heavier.Thick with anticipation.Every time Claire tried to keep things light, one of them said something that carried a deeper meaning, then he’d give her that intense look that made her knees wobbly.
Like the one he was giving her right now.
“Besides,” said Nick, “I like the little dude.And if Michael and Eli ever decide to razz me about my childhood fear of cats again, I’ll just whip out my phone and show them this.It’ll shut them right up.”
“It’s a cute picture.Hey, how would you feel about me including it in our newsletter?I could write a quick segment about how Mortimer made a famous friend.Our subscribers would eat it up.”
One of the tendons in his neck tensed.“Actually, Claire, would you mind not using my pic?I’ve been trying to keep a low profile.”
“Oh.”
“I know that probably sounds weird, considering I host a TV show.But aside from that, I haven’t been doing any social media or events.”
“No need to explain.It’s not a problem.”
“Thanks.Normally, I’d be happy to help out, but—”
“It’s okay.It’s your image.I’d never use it without your permission.”
“I appreciate that.Not everyone would do the same.”
There was definitely a story behind the tightness in his face, but he clearly didn’t want to share it.She wouldn’t push him.
That didn’t stop her from wanting to help him.
“Listen, your office is almost ready.The mudding is done.We’re going to give it the weekend to dry, then we’ll be able to paint.I’m sure Lacey will want you involved in that.”
“Sure.I’m excited to do it.Can’t wait to see everything.”
“It’ll be nice to give you your office back.”He rolled his eyes at her blanket.“You deserve better than working on the ground.”
“You guys have provided me with a new workspace.A few weeks of inconvenience is hardly a big price to pay.”
“Speaking of which, I’d better get back to it if we’re going to finish on time.”He stood.“See you later, Claire.”
