Page 38 of Every Bit As Perfect
He strolled toward me.“In public you’re determined, driven, and energetic.You’re a confidant woman who’s sure of herself, takes no shit, and gives no fucks.Your clothes reflect that.”Stopping just outside of my personal space, he plucked the edge of my lacy sleeve between his fingers and rubbed it gently.“But here, you’re a woman who is soft and surrounds herself with family and romance.A woman who seeks comfort and provides it to others.And maybe a woman who doesn’t always want to work so hard to keep control of—”
I stepped back and poked at him.“You got all that from a few couch cushions?You want to read my tea leaves next?”I teased, forcing myself to smile lightly.“Where are we going, anyway?This is a working lunch, right?”
He knocked me off-balance.
It was bad enough dealing with Max and his psychologistic x-ray vision.Now Daire?The person I most wanted to keep my cool around?
Taking my elbow, he walked us to the door.“It’s a surprise.”
I scowled.“I don’t like surprises.”
He nodded.“I know.But you’ll like this one.”
I leaned back to look up at him.“This is a working lunch, right?”
“Yes, spitfire,” he nodded.“It’s a working lunch.”
“Not a date,” I pushed.
“Are you kidding?”His eyebrows rose.
I immediately felt all kinds of foolish.Did he not want to date me?
“Not a chance, little spitfire.This is not my raincheck.That,” he emphasized, “I’ll be collecting another day.”
As he took the road leading out of town, I protested, “We could have just gone to Susie Q’s.Or The Beanery.Or even The Beaver Dam.It’s quiet there during the day.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“It’s a working lunch.It’s not supposed to be fun,” I grumbled, more and more uncomfortable with the fact that I couldn’t keep my eyes off his thighs, the muscles bunching against the faded denim every time he shifted from the gas to the brake.His hands on the wheel.Large hands, but slender.Like an artist’s.He smelled so good and his voice, every time he broke the silence, skated up my spine, yanked back my hair, and licked up the side of my throat.
Ugh.I needed to get laid.
But fuck me if I was willing to settle for anything less than what I was pretty damn sure he had to deliver.
I’d be breaking out the toys tonight for sure.
“I’m a kindergarten teacher, Harley.It’s my job to make work fun,” he teased, then his tone changed.“I’ve put a lot of thought into this.Please let me do this for you.”
Chagrined, I deflated.“I’m sorry—”
“No need.”
“I was being rude—”
“Harley,” he spoke sharply.“I want this to be good for you.Sit back.Relax.Let me take the fucking wheel for you for a few hours.Is there somewhere you need to be today?”
I smiled to myself.“He breaks,” I teased.
He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, then smirked.“Oh, I break.I promise you, I can only be pushed so far.”He reached out and patted my knee, just once.“But don’t worry little one, you’ll never be on the receiving end of that.Not in any way you won’t like.”
I harrumphed but let his loaded comment pass, turning my attention instead to figuring out where he was taking me.
He bypassed the turnoff to Mistlevale, which was my first guess.There was absolutely nothing down this way except for farms, farms, and more farms—
I grabbed his arm.“Oh my gosh.Are we going to Farm-to-Table?”
He smiled.“Yes.I take it I did well?”
