Page 17 of The Rules of Dating

“Hang on.” He went over to the fridge and took out something wrapped in foil. When he unwrapped it, it looked like a dessert. He offered it to me. “Take a bite.”

“What is it?”

“Brownie. I want you to taste it.” He held it to my mouth. His fingers grazed my lips as I opened.

As I chewed, it tasted like any other brownie—chocolatey, moist in the middle, a bit of frosting on top.

“It’s good,” I said with my mouth full.

“Yeah?” He raised his brow. “Well, there’s a load of spinach in that thing.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have known.” I swallowed. “You’re sneaky, Colby. What else are you sneaky about?”

“Don’t use my brownies against me. That’s being sneaky for a good cause.”

“Seriously…” I laughed. “That’s a brilliant idea.”

He reached out and swiped just under my bottom lip. “Sorry. You had some chocolate there.”

Damn, I felt that, too. Just like every other bit of contact with him today. I needed to get out of here before my freaking panties melted. “Thanks.” I licked my lips and noticed the way his eyes seemed glued to them. “What else do you have up your sleeve?”

“I might have a few other tricks I could show you.” His eyes sparkled.

His gaze burned into mine, and that left no doubt what he was referring to. And given the state of my panties, my body, if not my mind, heard it loud and clear. He reached into the first-aid container and took out a Band-Aid, which he placed over the cut on my knee. He lightly rubbed over the area with his thumb, once again lighting a small fire inside me.

He watched as I devoured the rest of the brownie. His piercing blue eyes then fell to my breasts, and rather than call him out on it, I took a few moments to enjoy his lusty stare. When he looked up at me, our eyes locked, and I could’ve sworn he leaned in a little. Was he looking for silent permission to kiss me? My heart sped up. Jesus. I wanted that so badly.

Then the door opened, and I instinctively moved back.

Colby ran a hand through his thick mane of light brown hair and tried to act casual. “Hi,” he said to the woman coming in.

“Oh, you’re here already.” She smiled.

“Daddy!” Saylor ran straight to her father. He lifted her up and showered her face with kisses before tickling under her neck, causing her to squeal in delight. It was a heartwarming sight, even for my cold, black heart.

He put her down, and the little girl’s cheeks were rosy from laughter.

“Hi, Saylor!” I waved.

“Hi, Billie!”

It was cute that she remembered my name. It had taken a bit for her to notice me, though, because she’d only had eyes for her father from the moment she walked in the door. The nanny, meanwhile, gave me a once-over. I was sure her imagination was running wild about me and my broken shoe. I suppose there were all sorts of ways I could’ve broken a shoe with Colby.

“Thanks again for dressing my wound, Colby. I’m gonna let you guys get back to your afternoon.”

“You don’t have to leave,” he urged. “I can make some coffee or something…”

I pointed my thumb toward the door. “Already had some caffeine upstairs with Deek.” Looking down at my phone, I added, “I also have a client in twenty minutes.”

“Ah. I should’ve known you had to get back to work.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the brownie, too.”

He nodded. “You need to let me know how much those shoes cost.”

“Don’t worry about it. They were on clearance when I bought them.”

“Well, I have to pay you back somehow.” He slipped his hands in his pockets. “Dinner would be one way, if that weren’t off the table.”