Jason materialized beside her. She wondered how much he’d overheard and her stomach cramped in embarrassment. “Thanks but that’s not necessary. I can pick up a flashlight at another store.”
“Hey, Corwin, you know who that is?” the clerk asked.
“What I know is that’s no way to treat a lady, Burt.” Jason stared at the man, a frown on his handsome face.
Burt scratched his bald head. “That’s not a lady, that’s a-”
“I said put it on my tab.” Jason grabbed the flashlight in one hand, her elbow in another, and led her out of the store.
Once on the sidewalk she looked him over in broad daylight. He appeared even more handsome than last night. He wore faded jeans and a black turtleneck. Razor stubble covered his cheeks, giving him a scruffy, sexy appearance, and her stomach fluttered in excitement.
“I looked all over for you last night.” He studied her just as intently.
“I left.”
“Places to go, people to see?” he asked wryly. “Or were you just avoiding me?”
He’d hit a nerve and she straightened her shoulders. “Avoiding a conversation we didn’t need to have.”
“You should know that I intend to have that talk sometime.”
Not here, where anyone could see them. “You really didn’t have to put the flashlight on your tab,” she said, changing the subject. “But I appreciate it.”
He inclined his head, accepting her thanks. “There was no call for Burt to treat you that way,” he said gruffly.
She shrugged, unconcerned with the other man’s rudeness. “Maybe he had his reasons. I wasn’t about to ask what my grandmother or sister did to piss him off. But don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.”
He rolled his eyes. He didn’t care about the money. “Flashlight’s on me.” He held it out for her.
She took it, avoiding his touch. “Thanks.”
But he stepped closer, his body looming over her. “So how much longer are we going to do this dance?”
“What dance?” She knew playing dumb wasn’t the answer but the words slipped out.
“The one where you avoid telling me why you didn’t just admit who you were last night?”
She had no rational reply. Last night, it had made a kind of crazy sense. She’d wanted to watch from afar, see him again and walk away. In the light of day it seemed plain silly.
“Why didn’t you just tell me you recognized me?” she asked instead.
He shrugged. “You seemed to need the anonymity. And frankly, pretending to have sex with a stranger kind of turned me on.” The corners of his mouth pulled up in a wicked, sexy grin.
His words set her entire body aflame, much the way his hands had last night.
“You look good,” he said, his voice thick.
“Thank you. So do you.” His dark hair was still as thick, his eyes still as blue and his body as hard and-
“I heard you ask Burt for the name of a contractor?”
She nodded, grateful he’d interrupted her thoughts before they could get X-rated. “Do you know of one?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Jason Corwin, contractor, at your service.” He swept his hand through the air and executed a mock bow.
Now that was a life change and she couldn’t let it go unspoken. “Listen, I heard about what happened-”
He quickly dismissed the subject. “Forget it. It’s in the past.”