Page 84 of The Fixer

She quickly followed. “I’m sober now.”

He turned, rested his forearms on the car’s roof, and gave her that devil’s smile. “That’s nice. Now you can drive anywhere you want.” He nodded toward her hand. “You’ve got the key.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

He canted his head. “Then what did you mean, princess? English, please.”

Embarrassment fueled her temper. “God, sometimes you’re such a … such a …”

“Handsome devil? Smooth talker? Great dancer? Spit it out. I’m currently accepting all compliments.”

She sputtered a laugh.

Now he cupped his ear. “That’s it? You’re not exactly boosting my ego.”

She cocked a hip and propped her fist on it. “I think your ego’s boosted about as much as any man’s can be.”

He shook his head. “Nothing could be further from the truth.”

“What did you mean by what you had in mind was a ‘colossally bad idea’?”

He flicked a finger toward the back of the shop. “I’ll just walk on home. It’s only a few blocks. The night air will do me good.” His reply didn’t answer her question.

She huffed out a frustrated breath. “You’re confusing me. I can’t read your signals.”

“Welcome to the club, princess.” He slid his arms off the car and tucked his hands in his front pockets. He stood as if waiting, his eyes never leaving hers.

Clarity struck, and she realized she’d thrown off all thewrongsignals—the ones that mirrored a stop sign. Maybe she wasn’t as sober as she thought she was. She was so bad at this! No wonder he was confused. The last thing she wanted him to do was leave. At least not until she’d spent a few hours exploring his body in her bed. So why couldn’t she just comeout and say that? Because she didn’t want to sound desperate, or worse, like she was one of his many “fans.”

Rounding the hood, she stood so close to him the heat radiating from his body caressed hers. She placed her hand on his arm. “Don’t go. I’m doing a poor job of letting you know what I want, but I’d like for you to come in.” Heat rushed to her cheeks. “I’d like for us to pick up where we left off in the parking lot, if … if you’re willing.”

A brilliant smile lifted his cheeks. “So would I.” He motioned toward the shop. “Lead the way.”

Her belly tickled as she executed her best sashay up the walkway, and she battled to rein in the sensation. She took a mental inventory of her underwear. Her outer clothes might have been from a secondhand store, but her panties and bra set were expensive, provocative, and all hers. No hand-me-downs touched the skin beneath her ruffly blouse and denim skirt.

And she couldn’t wait for it all to come off.

Chapter 24

Rules Were Made to Be Broken

At least they wereon solid ground now. Charlie had been dangerously close to leaving his logic in the back seat and letting his libido run roughshod over his good intentions back in the Silver Lode’s parking lot, but the snaking car ride home had helped him subdue it. Now his libido was roaring to the fore, and he was letting it shout down all the reasons why this shouldn’t happen.

Thoughts colliding, he fixed his eyes on that gorgeous ass swaying up to the front door, hope dancing in his jeans that he’d soon have those globes filling his hands after removing whatever scrap of clothing covered them.

He almost laughed out loud. She’d made him work to get this far, harder than he’d ever had to work before, but instead of annoying him, the challenge fired him up, sent a thrill cascading from his scalp to his swelling cock. She wasn’t like any woman he’d been with before, and helikedthat about her … probably because he was a masochist.

As she inserted the key into the lock, he stood back and let reason poke holes in his baser perspective. What they were about to do was a horrible idea.

A riot broke out inside him. The ongoing debate would have been more vigorous if his body wasn’t shipping its entire blood supply to his crotch.

She offered him a drink once they were locked up inside the store, which he declined. Ambling into the apartment’s living area, she didn’t bother turning on lights, letting the moon do the illuminating through the windows. He followed, pulled by her scent. She lowered herself onto the couch, the only piece of furniture where they could sit side by side—except the hard kitchen chairs or the bed in the room beyond with its door slightly ajar. But he was getting ahead of himself.

He shifted his weight foot to foot, part of him preparing to bolt, while the other part of him—the stronger of the two—prepared to prowl toward her and pounce.

He stood by the couch but didn’t sit, keeping a healthy distance between them. Despite his efforts, her fragrance floated toward him, its invisible fingers wrapping around him, luring him in. With his pulse kicking up a notch or six, he cleared his dry throat. “I’ve been thinking. I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

She cocked an eyebrow in response.

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