She had no idea how long they stared into each other’s eyes, before she belatedly realised that if she wanted to get a grip on her escalating anxiety, flirting with sexy Cruz wouldn’t help.
Cruz cleared his throat. ‘Come on. This ninja has a hankering for a chicken parma.’
‘Is it parma or parmi?’
‘You’re a Victorian, right?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Then you know it’s parma.’ He screwed up his nose. ‘Queenslanders, New South Welshmen, South Australians and West Australians have got it wrong.’
‘I think parmi sounds cuter.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t care what you call it, I need one in my belly pronto.’
‘I didn’t think a fancy schmancy chef like you would eat parmis.’
‘I grew up in this place and only left when I turned twenty.’ He doffed an imaginary cowboy hat. ‘I’m a country boy at heart.’
‘Not too wholesome, I hope?’ She arched a brow in provocation, vindicated when his gaze shifted to her lips, and he swallowed.
‘You’re determined to complicate our working relationship, aren’t you?’
She shrugged. ‘What’s complicated? I’ll be out of here sooner rather than later. The way I see it, where’s the harm in some lighthearted flirtation?’
‘Is that all you want? To flirt?’
‘No.’ She tapped her temple. ‘You don’t want to know the naughty thoughts I’m having about what I want to do with you.’
‘Maybe I do want to know?’
Damn, she loved sparring with this guy. Heat streaked through her at the thought of how far they could push this attraction.
‘I thought you were hungry?’
‘The parma’s not going anywhere.’
He reached across the console and snagged her hand, lifting it to his mouth to place a lingering kiss on her palm, branding her. She curled her fingers over her palm, trapping the feel of his lips against her skin, wishing she could feel his mouth all over.
She had to kiss him.
Now.
However, as they leaned towards each other, their bodies straining to get closer, a loud rapping on the driver’s side window had them leaping apart like cats doused in water.
Kyle pressed his face close to the window. ‘Come on, you two. We have to eat now so we have plenty of time to figure out our trivia strategy.’
‘Bloody Kyle,’ Cruz muttered, and Elora didn’t know whether to be annoyed or relieved at the farm manager’s rotten timing.
‘Trivia strategy sounds very important,’ she said. ‘We better head in.’
Cruz looked like he wanted to say something else but before he could, Kyle opened her door.
‘Thanks,’ she said, but as she stepped out, she could’ve sworn she heard Cruz mutter, ‘He’s no Prince Charming.’
She stifled a giggle at the thought of him being jealous.
As she headed into the pub flanked by two handsome men, her earlier anxiousness receded. When her anxiety got the better of her, she used various distraction techniques, mostly mindless scrolling on YouTube, baking or a few laps at the local pool. But she much preferred flirting with Cruz to take her mind off things.
