Page 31 of Too Hot to Sleep
"Sure." Her pulse jerked stupidly—she had no reason to be nervous. It wasn't as if they were on a date or something.
"Are you a photographer too?" he asked, nodding to her camera bag.
She blushed. "Amateur. It's an old manual 35 mm, but it takes decent pictures. I've been wanting to get some shots of the park anyway." She didn't add that a photo shoot also made their little get-together seem like less of a date to her.
"Would you be willing to take one of Crash?" he asked. "I took out an ad, but I might have a better chance of finding his owner if I had a picture."
She hesitated, only because it would perpetuate their interaction.
"I'd be glad to pay you," he added.
"Nonsense," she said quickly, feeling foolish. "I'd be glad to take a couple if it means reuniting him with his owner."
His smile was dangerously pleasing. "Thank you, ma'am."
Oh, my. "Are you off duty today?" she asked, gesturing to his clothing.
He nodded, arranging their food so they could sit facing each other. The picnic table gleamed with a fresh coat of forest-green paint. "I pulled early morning duty."
She lowered herself to the cool seat, glad she'd taken the time to pull her hair up and off her neck with a clip. "You must be tired."
He shrugged, sending lots of muscle into motion. She peeled her gaze away as he sat down. "I'm not used to getting much sleep—I have problems with insomnia."
Georgia blinked. "So do I."
He handed her a hot dog on a little paper plate. "It's probably our jobs, weird hours, the stress. How are you treating your sleeplessness?"
Georgia choked on her first drink of soda.I have phone sex with my boyfriend. While I'm thinking about you.She gulped air. Last week she was a frustrated almost-virgin, this week she was a phone wench. "I use… exercise."
"I exercise, but it doesn't seem to help."
Georgia fidgeted with her straw. "What about... your personal relationships?"
He stopped chewing. "What about them?"
"Well, do you... have any?"
"If you're asking if I have a girlfriend, I don't."
She tucked the tidbit away in her subconscious, then shook her head. "I mean friends—co-workers, neighbors."
"I know a lot of people, but I'm not sure if I'd call all of them friends."
"Bingo," she said. "You told me you were close to your family and now they're not around. You're probably in need of emotional c-companionship."
He lifted one dark brow.
Squirming on her seat, she spotted the dog and seized the ungraceful way out. "Like Crash. Pets are known to lower blood pressure and to relieve stress."
"It is nice having someone else around the place."
"I've been thinking about getting a pet myself," she admitted. "For the company."
"You don't live with your boyfriend?"
How did the man know every button of hers to push? "No." She was alone, with a couch like a stone.
His brown eyes danced. "So you two aren't that serious?"
