Which, truthfully, scared her. The whole point of the contract was less about keeping him in check and more about keepingherselfin line.
He was just too dangerous for her hormones, especially with the boyish grin that screamed he’d won again.
He did. She wouldn’t admit it and have his head grow any bigger.
Since they were talking, she picked up her fork to eat. He could follow along or let his dinner get cold. His choice.
“I’m sure I will.”
“And there is the prim and proper reply that I hopednotto get.”
She giggled, looked at the humor in his eyes, and said, “Spending time with you makes me laugh. It will be difficult not to have a good time.”
“Thank you,” he said. “A little flourish to the words is always good for the ego.”
“Are you going to be this impossible the whole time?”
He held his thumb and finger up as wide apart as he could make them. “Most likely. Do you think you’re up for it?”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
“You won’t change your mind?”
“No. I wouldn’t do that unless there was an emergency.”
“And the emergency can’t be you changed your mind,” he said, pointing his finger and squinting his eyes. “I can put that in the contract. Neither of us has signed it yet.”
She winked. “I didn’t sign it yet because we might have to add a few more things.”
“I’m good,” he said, lifting his eyebrow at her.
“So far it seems I am too.” Which took a lot for her to admit.
They ate their dinner in silence. She was comfortable without noise, but Arik was jostling the table every time he moved, shifting from one position to the next.
“Are we going to see each other again before Friday?” he finally asked as if he had to process that question a few times before the words could escape.
“Considering you’re living where I work, the chances are high.”
He rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “I mean on another date?”
She smirked at his exasperated motion. “Oh. You should have been more specific. I’m not sure. Since I am taking Friday afternoon off, there are a few things I need to get done prior.”
“I’m sure the hotel isn’t going to fall down without you there to answer a question for a guest. You’ve got staff under you to do those things, correct?”
“I do.”
“Do you utilize them?”
“Yes,” she said, the word dragging out.
“Since this trip sounds fun to you, we can try to do something fun before that.”
“What do you have in mind other than eating those desserts you ordered?” she asked. He was being pushy, but she didn’t mind. Shewantedto spend more time with him.
“Oh, you wanted one of them? You should have said something.”
She grinned, her foot lightly kicking his under the table. “You’re going to get soft if you eat them both.”
