Page 19 of Tempt Me

I pause. I can’t pretend I don’t need new clients, but still, Jase might be more trouble than the commission’s worth.

“I’ll be on my best behavior,” he adds with a playful grin. “Scout’s honor.”

“You were a boy scout?” I ask, dubious.

He laughs. “Nah, I just sold sweets at a mark-up outside the local meetings. Made myself a pretty penny. Good times.”

I find myself smiling, despite myself. “OK, a coffee. But business only. The minute you start doing... anything else, I’m out of there.”

“Fair enough.” Jase doesn’t seem concerned. He steers me across the street to a Starbucks, and soon, I’m settled in by a table in the window waiting for him to get our drinks. I still don’t know if I trust his new innocent act, but I’m curious to find out more about him—and what kind of home he’s looking for.

A couple of teenage girls beside me break out in fevered whispers. I follow their glances across the café to where Jase is at the counter, looking like a Greek God with his sweatpants hanging perfectly over the taut line of his ass. No wonder the girls are getting riled up. Every other guy in here looks puny and feeble in comparison to his muscular frame.

Sweaty... brazen... hot.

I gulp. It’s all perfectly innocent, I tell myself: I’m in broad daylight, a public place, having a business meeting, that’s all.

Jase rejoins me, with his coffee and my hot chocolate, piled with whipped cream and marshmallows. He folds his long limbs into a chair then watches with amusement as I take a sip.

“What?” I ask, self-conscious.

“You can tell a lot about a woman by what she drinks,” Jase says.

I keep drinking. “Aren’t you going to ask me what that says about you?” Jase finally asks.

I smile. “I don’t need to. You just love telling me what you think you know about me.”

He laughs, a loud belly-laugh of surprise. “Touché.” Jase reaches over and scoops some cream off my drink with his finger. He licks it off, and my gaze zooms straight to his mouth.

Oh my.

Jase arches an eyebrow, and I quickly look away, flustered. “So, tell me about what kind of place you’re looking for,” I say, wanting to get back on solid ground. “What kind of business are you in?”

“I’m in... research and information,” he replies.

I’m surprised. I would have thought a guy like Jase would do something more... dangerous. “Do you want something like that loft you looked at, or are you open to something different?”

“I’m not sure. I guess I’ll know it when I see it,” Jase says.

“Condo? House? Cabin in the woods?” I press, trying to narrow him down.

He just shrugs. “I follow my instincts. You know, when something just feels right, and you can’t explain why.”

His gaze locks on mine, and suddenly, the bustling café seems to disappear. I can hear my heart pounding, feel my skin prickle again. He parts his lips to speak, and suddenly, they’re all I can think about.

Claiming my mouth. Kissing my skin. Parting my legs and—

I force myself to look away. How does this guy take me from zero to turned on in two seconds flat? I take a long gulp of hot chocolate to distract myself—and burn my tongue on the hot liquid.

“Ouch!”

“Here.” Jase passes me a bottle of water, and I gratefully gulp it down. “You should be more careful,” he adds, a playful smile tugging on his lips. “Or, maybe you’re too careful. Is that it, Chloe? You like to play it safe?”

“Budget!” I blurt, grasping for the point of all this. “What kind of range are you working with?”

Jase shrugs again. “I’m open. For the right place, I could go to two, maybe three million.”

My mouth drops open. “Dollars?” I exclaim.

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