Page 54 of The Single Dad Project

“Is that your way of inviting me to stay for dinner?” She accepted the key, closing her fingers around it.

The light note in her voice belied the burst of flutters in her belly, and damn if that didn’t disgust her a little. She was twenty-four, not fourteen.Get your shit together, woman.

“The very least I can do for you helping us out is feed you.”

She shouldn’t.

Between working and watching Justine, she was already in his sphere more than she should be. More than was wise.

So no, she absolutely shouldnotaccept this dinner invitation...

“Sure, I’ll stay for dinner.”

Somebody shoot me and just put me out of my misery.

“Good.” A beat of silence, and his gaze dipped to her mouth, lingered there. Her breath stalled in her throat. “Last night...”

“Was a mistake,” she rushed to complete his sentence. “Emotions were running high and—”

“I wanted to know if you were okay,” he interrupted.

Well...damn.

It was still a mistake. He thought so, right? He had to because she couldn’t be the strong one when it came to keeping things platonic between them. Just sitting this close to him with that earthy and sweet scent teasing her nose had heat stirring low in her belly and between her thighs.

He’s leaving.

You don’t do commitments.

And if you did, he’s all wrong for you.

His dick isn’t.

Shit.

She was doing so well.

“I’m doing fine, thanks,” she said, ducking her head on the pretense of picking up the discarded paper bag and stuffing the remnants of their lunch inside. “Nothing that a good night’s rest couldn’t fix.”

A good night’s rest and Marty McFly’s DeLorean time machine, but whatever.

He stared at her, and it required every bit of her self-control to meet that golden scrutiny. At one point in her life, all she’d desired was to feel seen.

Now, under his intense gaze, that need was severely overrated.

“Good,” he finally said.

She did not need a second job as a mentalist to determine he didn’t believe her.

Funny.

She’d been good at hiding the truth all her life, and one sexy single father torpedoed that record to hell.

“Well...” She stood, grabbing the brown bag. “We should get back to it. Justine and I have more photos to take.”

He nodded, extending his hand for the trash. “Thank you again, Flo. I’ll see you later at the house for dinner.”

Handing over the bag, she nodded. “I’ll text you when we get to each of our stops and give you an update.”

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