Page 77 of Booked on a Feeling

“I’m going to surprise her with a romantic dinner.” Jack scratched the back of his head. “I need some time to cook and get it all ready.”

“Aww, you guys are too cute. Do you need the spare keys to her apartment?”

“Yes, that would be great.” He hadn’t even thought about that part. It would’ve been awkward asking Lizzy for the keys without telling her why he needed them. “Thank you, Shannon.”

“Anytime,” she said with a wink.

Lizzy was still lost in thought when Jack returned to her side. She started a little when he put his hand on her back. He smoothed away the frown building between his brows. They would talk tonight.

“What’s my assignment for the day?” he asked.

“Yes, your assignment.” She brightened immediately. “Shannon and I want to use that space in front of the window as an event stage. She has the coolest rug we can use to mark off the stage area. But it needs a backdrop, so we need to put up some curtains behind the display case. We’ll only close the curtains when we have events, since we love the natural light coming in.”

“Nice.” He glanced at the front window. “Then I’ll need to install a curtain rod and some curtain holdbacks.”

“We already picked up all the hardware and the curtains, so you can jump right in.”

“Let me just grab my stepladder and toolbox from my car.” He paused mid-step when she touched his arm.

“Did you bring your tool belt?” she said with a husky note in her voice.

His eyebrows drew down. “Yeah, but I probably won’t need it.”

“No, you really should wear it.” A slightly unhinged light came into her eyes.

“Why, Lizzy?” A slow grin spread across his face. “Do you like seeing me in a tool belt?”

He saw a battle of lust and pride stampede across her lovely face. Lust won.

“Yes.” She put her hand on his chest and leaned in close. “Put it on for me?”

All his cockiness drained away as heat spread through him. He swallowed after several attempts. “Anything for you.”

With his tool belt slung low on his hips, he installed the curtain rod brackets with Lizzy’s hungry eyes on him. The only reason he was able to avoid a full-blown hard-on was because he was preoccupied with his call with McBain’s HR.

After he drilled in the final bracket, he climbed down the stepladder and made a beeline for Lizzy, who was pretending to rearrange some literary fiction on the bookshelves along the back wall. Her eyes widened and dropped to his tool belt—or crotch—when she saw him approach.

“Eyes up here,” he said in a strained voice.

Her gaze made a slow ascent to his face, and it felt like licks of fire against his skin. The wicked smile that curled her lips was completely unrepentant. “My apologies.”

His hands curled and uncurled by his side as he fought the urge to push her up against the bookshelves and bury himselfinside her. But the murmurs of customers around him brought reason back into his lust-fogged brain. “Later. You’ll pay for this later.”

“Promises, promises.” Lizzy bit the tip of her index finger and stared at him with naked hunger.

“Okay.” He closed his eyes and filled his lungs with air. “I’m going to go to my car and put away my tool belt—”

“No…” She pouted with displeasure.

“I’m going to put away my tool belt and take some time to cool off. And when I come back, you’re going to behave yourself”—he held up his finger to stop her protests—“because I can’t take you upstairs and leave the project half-finished.”

“You mean we should act like responsible adults?” Her shoulders drooped.

“Exactly. I’m actually shocked that I need to remind you of this, but once the curtains go up, you’ll get to check off another box.”

Lizzy leaned close and said in a low whisper, “Don’t tell anyone this, but sex with you is better than checking off a to-do item.”

“That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” Jack chuckled and tugged her into a hug. He quickly set her away from him when her hands skimmed his waist under his T-shirt. “My car. Going. Now.”

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