Walking swiftly back to her desk, she rested her hand on her chair and picked up a stack of paper at random just as the knock came on the door.
Staring blindly at the report in her hand, she raised her voice. “Come in.”
She counted off a few beats after she heard the door open before she glanced up. “Oh. Hello—” Something caught in her throat, and she had to clear it. It was like the forest had stepped inside. Jacob was far too big and too wild for her fussy Aubusson rug and damask curtains.
Not shirtless this time, alas, but he was dressed in another pair of those delightful jeans, worn and faded at the crotch and knees. The soft green cotton T-shirt hinted at the muscles beneath. His brown leather jacket was a concession to the spring chill outside. His hair was curling and disheveled, as if he’d been running his fingers through it.
Was it soft? She bet it was soft. Her fingers itched. Now that she had touched him once, her body craved more.
The door clicked as Tammy closed it behind him. Jacob turned at the noise, his torso twisting and his shirt tightening over his abs.
No place to run. You’re all sealed up in here with me.
She coughed, attempting to regain her powers of speech. “Jacob.” She placed the file she held as a prop on the desk. “This is a surprise.”
He shifted the reusable shopping bag he carried from one hand to the other. His gaze bounced around her office. She resisted the urge to follow it, to confirm the space did not, indeed, reveal anything about her she didn’t want this man to know.
Did this small glimpse into her world intimidate him? Surprise him? She couldn’t tell. His face was impassive.
He finally focused on her, probably realizing he hadn’t responded to her greeting. “I apologize for barging in. I know you’re a busy woman. I should have called first.”
“You don’t have my number.” Was her tone too plaintive? She didn’t have his number either. They were hardly going to stay up late, twirling phone cords and gossiping.
“I do, actually.”
The strange flare of excitement those words brought was quickly squelched when he continued. “Since I used your phone to call Kati.”
Ah. Made sense. So much more sense than him simply having the means to contact her because he might one day want to talk to her. Without someone holding a gun to his head. “Of course. And how is young Kati? Survived a weekend without you?”
He rolled his big shoulders. “Yeah. She did just fine without me.”
Was that a note of bitterness she heard? “Aw. Is Papa Bear’s nest feeling preemptively empty without his little Kati-cat?”
It may have been a trick of the light, but she could have sworn a slight flush darkened his cheeks. “Don’t worry about Kati. It’s family stuff.”
Family stuff rarely had anything to do with her. Never her, unless a parent needed to score some ratings or keep up appearances. She lifted a shoulder. “I rarely worry over things that don’t concern me. Trying to keep the Botox fairy away as long as possible, you know.”Get this over with.“So what brings you here?” She strode around the desk so nothing was between them, perching against the solid surface. She stretched her rather nice bare legs in front of her, mentally pouting when he kept his gaze fixed on hers.“Did you decide to take me up on my offer?” The words were light, though she felt anything but.
I could show you all the things I was thinking about doing to you when I was watching you. All the ways I would touch and lick every part of you.
“Can you please be serious?”
“I’m deadly serious.” She gave him her best elevator eyes, traveling down his body and back up. “There’s no lumber to chop here, but I’m certain we can improvise.”
Irritation made storm clouds gather on his face. “Look, this is hard enough, and I haven’t slept much, so I’m not really in the mood for this…whatever it is we do.”
“Maybe I didn’t sleep well, either,” she said, and then started. There it was again. That bleating, plaintive tone. More obvious this time, so obvious he stilled, a confused look on his face.
Why shouldn’t he be confused? She kept changing their script left and right. Only she wasn’t doing it deliberately.Get a grip on yourself.There was no way in hell she would unravel in front of this guy.
She shook her head, her mouth firming. “What do you want?” The words were sharper than she intended, displaying her unease.
He cleared his throat and held out the bag in his hand. “I, uh… I wanted to give you this.”
She rose from the desk, his hesitation unnerving her.
“Most men don’t bring me presents in grocery bags.”
“I didn’t want it to get wet if it rained.”
