“Jada.” Cane’s voice was a command, and I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned, and he was glancing at his watch. “Would you want to grab dinner later? I feel like I owe you something for coming over here first thing, and I don’t like owing anyone anything.”
The light shone through the window, casting shadows upon his features. He looked sharper, sexier, and more devastatingly handsome than last night. And as much as Cane Alexander intrigued me, I knew I wasn’t ready. My divorce was too fresh. Besides, Cane screamed complicated, and I didn’t want that. His interest was flattering, but I couldn’t buy into his charm.
“You don’t owe me anything. Don’t worry about it.”
“I can’t help that I feel that way.” He winked. “You’re just going to have to go to dinner with me.”
“I’m sorry, Cane. I can’t. Thank you, though.” I started to leave again but stopped when I heard a soft chuckle behind me. “What’s so funny?”
“Nothing, really. It’s just that I rarely invite women to dinner, and I never get turned down when I do. Am I losing my touch?”
“I wouldn’t know. I don’t know if you had it to begin with.”
He put his hand on his chest over his heart. “That hurt.” He took a step toward me, and my breath caught. “What is it about me that you don’t like?”
“Nothing, per se.”
“I think you don’twantto like me. But here’s the thing—I can read women better than anyone. It really is a gift. I know you’re interested. So what’s holding you back? I am just asking for dinner. I’m not out-and-out asking you to fuck—yet.”
His words were a match, sending my libido up in flames.
I tried desperately to control my response to him, but it was easier said than done. The crudeness should have offended me, but my body was humming instead.
“Do you talk to all your business associates this way?” I asked, trying to distract him.
“No. They’re usually overweight, middle-aged men.” He made a sour face. “I actually keep business andpleasureseparate. You’re just an exception.”
The air between us crackled, but each of us held back.
“Cane, look, I’m sorry.” I took a step back until I could feel the cool glass of the front door at my back. “I really do need to get back to the office.”
“You have to eat. What’s wrong with sharing a meal with me?”
“Dinner leads to dinners, which lead to lunches, and I just don’t want to go there.”
“You’re putting the cart before the horse, don’t you think?Imay not likeyou. So while I admire your ego, I think you’re jumping to conclusions.”
“My ego? That’s hilarious coming from you,Coach,” I exclaimed.
He burst out laughing. “So while I admire yourconfidence,” he said, raising his eyebrows with a cheeky grin, “it’s just dinner. I’m not sure what’s so risqué about that.”
There was no way I would have even considered dinner with him the night before, but I found myself now wavering. As I considered him, all six-foot-something alpha male, he reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. My heart pounded at the sight of his bicepsflexing.He really is the whole gorgeous package. Shame I’m not in any headspace to consider dating yet.
I tore my eyes away as my brain took back over.
“I just … I can’t.”
“You did say you didn’t have a boyfriend, right?”
“I don’t.” I rolled the ring my mother had given me as a little girl around my right ring finger nervously. “I just got my life situated again, and I really need to focus on me right now.”
“Dinner—that’s it,” he reiterated, his eyes searching mine. “It’s one meal. I don’t usually do one meal with a female unless they’re making me breakfast.”
This is the Cane from last night. This is exactly why I can’t have dinner with him.
Before I could change my mind, I pressed on the door with my back, letting the heat rush through. “No, I’m sorry, Cane. Maybe some other time.”
I grabbed my bag and walked out into the sun, my emotions a verifiable war zone.
