Page 21 of Love in the Time of Conversation Hearts

“What do you opine about?” I cut a piece of chicken and sweep it, along with more fettuccine, onto my fork.

“Lots of things.” He pushes some of his pasta around his plate, seemingly unwilling to look at me. “Most recently, the importance of roadway infrastructure improvements.”

I can’t tell if that’s seriously what he writes about, or if he’s just trying to irritate me. Either way, my annoyance overtakes my libido. I run my tongue over the grooves of my teeth as my gaze lands pointedly on him. “Are you ever going to let it go?”

Shrugging, his gray eyes meet mine again. They really are a gorgeous shade—crystal clear and shimmering in the ambient light in the restaurant—but it’s hard to think about that when he insists on needling me.

“I’m just saying, it’s something our town needs. Maybe not now, sure, but it has to happen sometime. We need to be constantly thinking about the future of Heartsong.”

“I am thinking about the future.” I stab another piece of chicken with more force than necessary.

“We both are.” Adam reaches across the table and lays his hand on top of mine. As much as I hate to admit it, the warmth of his palm on mine is nice. No, more than nice. It’s like a salve, soothing the raw edges of my annoyance, though not making it disappear entirely.

I study the way his big hand envelops mine and swallow hard before dragging my gaze to meet his. If I didn’t know any better, I would think his gently parted lips and intense focus mean he’s fighting the same war about me that I am about him.

But, no. That can’t be true. Can it?

Honestly, it doesn’t matter. I can admit he’s an attractive man. And now that I’ve seen him with his shirt off, I’m comfortable stating that’s just an objective fact. But we work together, and most of the time we can’t stand each other. Physical attraction can happen anywhere. I’m attracted to a young Paul Newman, for example. Doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with him. The same can be true for Adam Sullivan, even if he is available and flirting and sitting right in front of me.

I remove my hand from under his and wipe it on the napkin in my lap before returning my attention to my food. Nothing can happen between us on this trip, and I would do well to remember that.