“I will admit I did, but I stand corrected.” She placed a hand to her chest and bent slightly from her waist in a slight bow. “You are the professional.”
His grin sent a rumble of awareness through her midsection. “I’m glad to know I’ve earned your trust.”
His gaze dropped from her face to her chest. Heat prickled her cheeks. She didn’t have to look down to guess what he saw. Her T-shirt was thin, she was soaked and the black sports bra she wore would be clearly visible. Along with her nipples, hardened from the cold rain and the look in his eye.
Clearing her throat, she wrapped the towel around her neck like he had, then crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, thank you. I was just about to make cookies. Did you want one?”
His eyes met hers and she swallowed hard at the heat reflected in his gaze. Quickly, he glanced over his shoulder out the back door. The rain still came down hard and thunder rolled between flashes of lightning. “I think I’ll get back home now.”
She hated the wave of disappointment that went through her. There wasn’t a good reason for him to stick around. They weren’t friends anymore despite the easy banter and familiarity they’d had earlier. A vestige of the friendship they’d once had. He’d done her a neighborly favor and now he could go do whatever it was he had to do on a Saturday in Peachtree Cove.
She went to her purse, which was hanging on the back of the kitchen chair, where she’d placed it the night before. “How much do I owe you for the siding?”
He waved a hand. “Nothing. I wanted to do that. Can’t stand to see things unfinished.”
“Oh, well, at least let me do something for you. I mean, you’ve apparently saved me from a ton of water damage.” She pointed to the rain outside. “And you were soaked in the process.”
Andre walked over to her. Not so close that he touched, but close enough for her body to react to his nearness. He studied her intently, his gaze traveling over her face, lingering on her lips before rising back to her eyes. Goose bumps popped up over her skin and her nerves prickled in anticipation.
The corner of his lips lifted in a seductive smirk. “You can bring over a few cookies later today after the rain.” His voice was low and brushed across her like a caress.
Did he have to make delivering cookies sound so damn sinful? She swallowed and nodded. “I can do that.”
He nodded slowly before lifting one long finger. “And there’s one other thing.”
“What’s that?”
He leaned in closer. “The next time you think about kissing me like you did a few minutes ago in the rain, go ahead and do it.”
ANDREWATCHEDWITHa hum of expectancy as Tamara’s brown eyes widened. She was going to deny it. He would bet his truck on it, and he loved his truck. But he’d seen the interest in her eyes. Felt the way her breath had quickened against his chest. The rain had washed away the awkwardness, and he’d sensed the spark of attraction between them and had known she wanted to kiss him. He’d hesitated with acting on his attraction, but knowing she felt the same had made up his mind.
She shook her head. “I...”
He raised a brow. “You what?”
She sighed and shrugged. “I thought better of it. I didn’t need to kiss you.”
She wasn’t going to deny it. Impressive. In hindsight, maybe not surprising. Tamara hadn’t been one to hide from confrontation. She’d called him on his bullshit enough when they were younger for him to know that. She was just classy with her clapbacks.
“You didn’t need to kiss me. Feel like telling me why?”
“For one.” She took a step back. “I’m regulating you. I have enough to deal with from other developers and contractors, not to mention council members, without including rumors of being biased toward one contractor in particular.”
He understood her reasoning. It was one of the reasons he was trying to ignore what he felt for her. But he still found himself asking “And if you weren’t regulating me?”
“If I weren’t regulating you, I still wouldn’t kiss you. I’ve had enough experience with men who run hot then cold. Not really interested in doing that again.”
“What do you mean running hot then cold?” He didn’t like the idea of her comparing him to other men.
She placed one hand on her hip, then shrugged. She looked at him as if the answer to his question was obvious. “You’ve always been that way. Even in high school. One day we were cool and then the next day...well. The next day you started treating me like I was the last person you ever wanted to see. I know years have passed, but I still see signs of the guy who flipped the switch one day. I don’t kiss guys like that.”
He had no excuse. He had switched on her. In a blink after she’d caught him crying in a closet. As a teen, explaining his quick switch would have been just as embarrassing as being caught crying. Now, as a fully grown man who didn’t want petty teenage feelings keeping him from exploring the vibe he felt with Tamara, he wasn’t one bit embarrassed.
“About what happened back then.”
She shook her head. “Please. You don’t have to explain.”
“You brought it up, so I think I do have to explain. You caught me in an awkward position. I didn’t know how to act after that.”
