Page 5 of So That Happened
That awful softening thing was happening again. Ignore it, Josie. Stand firm. ‘Yes.’ She waited for his response, her fingers now drumming a soft beat on the table.
‘Why would I do that?’ His expression was impassive.
‘Because I was here first.’
He barked out a laugh. ‘You’re calling dibs on my house?’
‘It’s a perfectly valid negotiating technique.’
He considered her for a moment and she shifted in her chair, straightening her back in readiness for his next move.
‘Do you cook?’
What the hell?
‘Not unless you count microwaving ready meals or sloshing milk over cereal.’
Connor raised his eyebrows. ‘I don’t.’
She crossed her arms. ‘Then, no, I don’t cook.’
Connor gave her a questioning look and she flushed under his scrutiny.
She shrugged, fighting the heat of her discomfort. ‘My job’s demanding. The last thing I want to do when I get in is cook.’
‘Really? I find it relaxing.’
His eyes searched her face and her skin heated in response.
‘Whatdoyou do to relax?’
There was a hint of reproach in his expression as his gaze locked with hers. She shifted in her chair, looking away from him. Why was he making her feel so uncomfortable? She had nothing to be ashamed about.
‘I go to the gym sometimes.’ She racked her brain, trying to find something to impress him with, but nothing came to mind.
Connor shook his head slowly, radiating disapproval, but his expression softened as he leant in closer to her. The hairs on the back of her neck lifted in response and her heart pummelled her chest as his gaze roved her face before dropping momentarily again to her mouth.
‘I’m sure we can think of some way to work this out.’
His voice was low and the double meaning was not lost on her. He stood suddenly, pushing his chair away from the table and grabbing their plates, turning to dump them next to the sink. He stilled, staring down at the counter, before turning back. There was a challenge in his expression now.
‘You can cut my hair.’
Josie blinked at him in surprise, her body a tangle of confusion and lust. What was he doing to her? The mixture of forceful self-confidence and provocative teasing was disorientating her, turning her insides to mulch and her brain to jelly.
‘Did you say you want me to cut your hair?’
‘Yes.’
She gave him a stunned smile. ‘What’s wrong with going to a hairdresser?’
‘A waste of money. Anyway, I’m not losing a morning driving to Aix just to get a haircut. I’m sick of it hanging in my face; you just need to chop a couple of inches off all round. Then I’ll be ready to face the world.’
Relaxing her arms, she dropped her hands into her lap and tapped her fingers together. ‘If I do it will you let me have the house?’
He shrugged. ‘Depends on how good a job you do.’
She snorted. ‘What if I make a mess of it?’
