Page 34 of Dangerously Tempting

I groan, throwing my head back to stare at the ceiling, begging whatever higher being there is out there for more patience than I currently possess. I don’t know how I’m going to make it through this dinner, and I now wonder why I ever thought this was a good idea in the first place.

“I am begging you, Kat. Please, for the love of all that is holy, keep the embarrassing stories to yourself. Keep them inside until at least the third or fourth time you meet him, okay?”

“What embarrassing stories?” She purses her lips as she thinks. “I think they’re all just funny.”

“I’m fucked. I’m totally fucked,” I mumble to myself, and she comes over, taking the spoon from me to take over stirring.

“You better check that pasta or we’re going to be eating straight slop,” she points out and I curse, lunging for the pot. She slaps my hands away. “Potholder! I’m not going to get to meet him if you burn the fuck out of your hands because we’ll have to go to the hospital.” My expression must tell her I’m seriously contemplating it for that exact reason because she shoves me away from the stove and takes over.

By the time she’s pulling the garlic bread from the oven, there’s a light knock on the door, and I turn to her, gripping her arm frantically. “Behave.”

She sighs, rolling her eyes. “Fine, I’ll behave.”

I dart into the hall, pulling my clip out so my hair falls down around my shoulders and straighten it out in the mirror that hangs near the door, barely remembering to take off my apron before I open the door for him. “Hi,” I say softly as I pull open the door and I’m blown away by how this man leaves me breathless every damn time.

He’s wearing a white henley shirt and black jeans that hug his thighs in a way that makes my mouth water. The light, heady smell of his cologne hits my nose as he lifts his hand and holds out a wine bottle.

“Hi. Thought I’d bring a little something to help loosen everyone up,” he smirks as I take the bottle with trembling hands. He closes the distance between us, gently tilting my chin up with his index finger to press a kiss to my forehead.

I melt under his lips, a sigh leaving me as my muscles relax. “That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you.” He steps back, quirking a brow.

“Are you going to invite me in?”

I flush, stepping back and motioning him in. He steps inside, giving my fingers a light squeeze as he moves past me, and that small little motion, showing that he’s acknowledging my nerves but not drawing attention to them, warms my stomach.

We move into the kitchen where Kat waits, her hip propped against the counter with a sweet smile on her face. She barely allows him to get into the room before she moves in on him, sticking her hand out to him.

“I’m Kat, and I’ve been waiting for what feels like ages to meet you,” she narrows her eyes at me over Jameson’s shoulder, and he laughs as he takes her hand, shaking it gently.

“Jameson. I’ve been waiting a while to meet you, too. She’s been keeping you hidden away, so I know you must know all her dirty little secrets.”

“Oh, all of them,” she chimes in happily, and I groan.

“I hate both of you so much right now,” I groan.

They both laugh, and Jameson turns slightly so he can put his arm across my shoulders and pull me against his side, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “We all know that’s not true. We’ll behave, we just needed to get a little teasing out of our systems,” he says into my hair, and I let out a breath of relief.

“We should go ahead and eat, then,” I say, trying to push past my awkwardness.

“Everything just finished,” Kat adds with a smile and motions to the table where she sat everything out.

We all move in that direction and dig into our food, sharing small talk as we eat. With each minute that passes, I feel more comfortable until we’re all easily transitioning from topic to topic with ease. I smile, watching them interact, and couldn’t be more pleased to see how easily they get on with each other. I was afraid they might be too much for each other, but they banter in a way that I didn’t expect that has me dabbing at my eyes from laughing so hard.

I didn’t know that there was a way he could make me even happier, but apparently getting along with my best friend is the thing that really hits it out of the park for me.

20

Jameson

Playlist: "Hooked On A Feeling," Blue Swede feat. Björn Skifs

“So I hear you’re the big man on the construction site,” Kat jokes, and I can’t help but smile at how sarcastic and quick on her feet she is. She’s been carrying the weight of steering the conversation, and I’m trying my best to take it in stride and not steer it where I want it to go. I give Amelia a hard time about it every chance I get, but the truth is, I also have control issues, and lately I’ve been feeling like I have absolutely none.

“I am. Get to boss around a bunch of grown men that probably wouldn’t get their job done if I wasn’t there, which is why I’m working towards being an architect. I already have my bachelor’s degree, so I’m just trying to squeeze in the last of my internship hours with what little free time I have before I can take the exam to get licensed.”

“Amelia told me! That’s a really good shift for you, and I’m sure you’ll be relieved to get away from that kind of environment.”

“It’s honestly not that bad, but it’s not where I want to stay. I’ve always dreamed of bigger things, so that’s the goal. Being the big man has its drawbacks, and after today’s fiasco I am more focused than ever at achieving that goal.”

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