I glance at him with suspicion out of the corner of my eye, and he tacks on, “Even you, Lucy May.”
There it is.
“Ha!” I snort in the mostattractiveway. But it’s Stone, so I don’t have to care. Because I will not date him. Are we clear? “You’d run screaming for the hills if you spent five seconds within my brain listening to my thoughts.”Because, buddy, Dark Mode has been activated. It’s my only coping mechanism since everyone’s left me.
He stands up and sits on the corner of my desk, also known as the one clean area. “Oh, you think I can’t handle a little bit of insanity?”
“I know you can’t handle the likes of me.” The words slip out unbidden, and I find myself leaning into his sphere, close enoughthat I can smell a peppery bergamot scent mingled with something that demands my pheromones recognize it at an animalist level.Get it together, Lucy. Just because a man gives you attention does not mean you pursue it.
Stone chuckles and shakes his head. “Try me. Say yes to dinner with me tonight at The Flats.”
Did I mention Stone is becoming quite relentless in attempting to get me to go out to dinner with him? This all started four months ago after the Valentine’s Day West Coast Swing dance we hosted.
A shudder runs down my spine at the memory of his hands on the small of my back, sliding down my arms, my waist, gripping myhands as he guided me in an admittedly sultry dance to “Put Me in My Place” by Muscadine Bloodline. Four months of increasing invites to dinners, movies, and other various activities.
“Is it a team dinner?”
“You know it’s not, Lucy May. Sayyes.”
I make the mistake of making eye contact, and my breath hitches at the sparkling blue color, emphasized by his dark, long lashes. He truly is a gorgeous man. One that is smirking to high heaven right now because he knows exactly what he’s doing to me, but still breathtaking.
“I, uh,” I stammer, then collect myself and tear my gaze away from him and back to my computer. He’s just toying with me, and I’m not in the mindset to play. At least, I wasn’t until my sister left me all alone. “No. You’re my boss. I can’t go get dinner with you.”
He hops off the corner of my desk. “Suit yourself.”
I ogle freely as he walks away, truly admiring the way he fills out those khaki pants. As he opens my office door to leave, he turns around and says, “Whoever you were crying over this morning, he isn’t worth it.”
Flabbergasted, I state, “How come you assume I was crying over a man?”
He shrugs with one hand on the door. “You date a lot. I date a lot. Both of us don’t last very long. We might be more alike in our heads than you think, Lucy May.”
Slack-jawed and processing, I mull over his words to the click of the door shutting.
“It wasn’t over a man!” I shout, standing to my feet and splaying my arms out on my desk, the sudden and overpowering need to correct him taking over.
I hear the echo of his laughter on the other side of the door, then he cracks it open, peeks his head through, and says, “Ah, then it’s the lack of a man. I see.” He shuts the door again after a playful wink.
Fury burns and rages, and I finally know what seeing red feels like. How dare he? Where did he find the audacity? Just who does he think he is to call me out like that?
But, Lucy May… He was right. Stone Harper, the Notorious Playboy Boss, just saw right through you like you were Casper the ghost.
Chapter 2
Stone
She knows I love the game.
And she’s made it the most drawn-out, entertaining fight of my life.
But not for much longer.
The blushes, the lingering stares, the cracks in her voice… I can tell her stubbornness is eroding; she should say yes to me by the end of the night if I continue to play my cards right.
At least I hope so. I’ve thought I was on the verge of having her before and was wrong. It’s not that I see forever with Lucy; I know her dating history. She gets around as much as I do. We could have a lot of fun together, and I think she enjoys toying with me as much as I revel in making flirty advances towards her. I would stop if it looked like it was hurting her, but I don’t miss the thrill in her eyes at our banter. It’s all part of this cat and mouse game we’ve been playing.
Nothing serious will happen between us, but if she wanted to play with me, I wouldn’t turn down theopportunity. As long as she agreed to my usual spiel: no feelings, no commitment, and if one of us begins to develop those pesky feelings or if the desire to commit dawns upon our souls, then we end it immediately.
Those rules would especially be vital considering I work with Lucy.
