Page 93 of Mr. Flirt

“You know Valentine’s Day weekend starts tomorrow, right? You haven’t forgotten our deal.”

“You mean the romantic part about me being able to bring my laptop? No. I haven’t forgotten. But tomorrow isn’t the fourteenth.”

“Right. It’s the thirteenth, but our weekend getaway starts tomorrow.”

Shep’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at it. “Just my sister.” He didn’t bother to look at it when my phone buzzed as well. “She didn’t text you too, did she?” He grinned, and I glanced at my phone when another message slid over.

“Nope. Mae and Dani.” It was odd that they both messaged at the same time, but I didn’t want to be rude to Shep. He didn’t read his message, and I would do the same courtesy.

He leaned a little closer. “I have a secret.”

“Only one?”

He smiled wider and shook his head. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”

My cheeks warmed, and I took a deep breath to get ahold of myself. The truth was that when I wasn’t zoned into my clients’ cases, my mind always drifted to Shep.

“I’m kind of in the same predicament,” I confessed.

Shep looked relieved and somewhat amused, which worried me on some deeper level, probably all relating back to my chosen profession and upbringing...

But was this thing turning real between us, or was I just another conquest, someone who played a little harder to get who intrigued him? I just didn’t know.

Mae texted again, so I silenced my phone. But I got a little worried. Mae rarely texted back-to-back unless she needed something.

Shep spotted my worry and nodded toward my phone.

“If you need to do something or read your messages, I’m totally fine.”

“Thanks. Sorry.” I slid my phone on and saw the beginning of Mae’s text, and realized I didn’t have to worry.

Did you see what just went viral?

I didn’t bother to continue reading the message since all limbs were accounted for, and there didn’t seem to be an emergency. Leave it to my sister to be on top of whatever was floating around social media.

I looked up at Shep, and I saw genuine concern in his eyes, which tugged at me. That couldn’t be faked, right? Why would a guy put that much effort into something that was just a number or another notch in the belt? He couldn’t.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

I chuckled and nodded. “Thankfully, just some fashion or gossip emergency from today’s social media blitz that my sister forwarded me. I’ll catch up later.”

Shep winked and nodded. “My sister keeps me informed of all that too.”

I rolled my eyes. “Lucky us.”

His eyes stayed on mine, and my blood filled with heat that I couldn’t blame on the curry. This man could excite me midday in a café full of lawyers.

It was infuriating and delightful all at once.

I bit my lip and drew a breath. “You know, I’d love to have you over for dinner tonight. I can’t promise anything fancier than a pizza.”

Shep pushed away his empty plate. “Count me in.”

A tingle of excitement ran down my spine at the thought of seeing him somewhere other than a public place. Maybe I’d finally get enough courage tonight to dive into the next level.

“I have a meeting at six tonight, but I bet I can be at my house by eight. Is that too late?”

“Not in the slightest.” His smile only widened as he took a look around the café before bringing his face back to mine. “Now, if only I could figure out what to do for the next several hours to occupy myself rather than fantasizing about tonight.”

---