She wiped the phone clean of prints and erased all trace of any outgoing calls before replacing it on the desk and climbing back into bed.
CHAPTER TEN
LAUREN NOW KNEW what it meant to bring a man to his knees. She relished Jason’s jaw-dropping reaction to her dress, a modern one-shoulder design with metallic gold body-hugging banding that ended midthigh. She hadn’t packed many nice clothes since she’d planned on renovating, not socializing. But s
he had brought two dresses she’d designed to show to Sharon, and she chose her favorite. She worried she was overdressed until she discovered their destination.
“Amber said the Top of the Hub is the ultimate romantic dining experience,” Jason told her on the car ride into Boston. He split his attention between her and the road.
She smiled. “I can’t wait.”
“I hope it’s worth it because I’m not used to wearing a jacket.” He shifted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable in his clothes.
She grinned. “It’s worth it to me. You look handsome, Jason.”
She realized she was seeing him dressed up for the first time ever, in tan khakis, a black sport jacket and a white shirt. A far cry from the boy she’d known or even the man who worked at her house every day.
At the restaurant they ate in comfortable but aware silence. Throughout the meal, their eyes remained locked on each other and not the view of the Boston skyline or the Back Bay fifty-two floors below.
She barely tasted her pan-seared salmon and would lay odds Jason could say the same of his braised short ribs. The fixed-price three-course meal was elaborate, the service attentive and the view spectacular.
But all she could focus on was the man in front of her.
And what a man he’d become. Caring, tender, dedicated. A man who’d lost everything he’d dreamed of and yet still managed to smile.
At her.
To play footsie under the table.
With her.
To whisper in her ear all the sexual, provocative things he wanted to do.
To her.
She barely tasted dessert. Instead she wanted desperately to taste him.
The car ride home was too long. Lauren was tipsy from champagne, antsy with desire, and she couldn’t control the need to constantly touch him. She nuzzled his neck and kept her hand on his thigh, just to the right of where touching would probably cause a car accident.
By the time they finally reached town and neared the turn for her grandmother’s house, Lauren was surprised the car windows weren’t fogged from their heavy breathing. So when she saw smoke coming from the back of the house, she thought she was imagining it.
“Holy shit,” Jason muttered, pulling into the driveway and slamming on the brakes.
Panic lodged in Lauren’s throat. “Oh my God.” A real fire.
“Call nine-one-one,” he directed, tossing her his cell phone as if she didn’t have one of her own.
She fumbled and started to dial, just as she realized her cat was probably in the house. “Trouble,” she muttered.
“I know. So dial. I’ll go see how bad it is.”
He reached for the door handle but she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. “No, my cat. Trouble might be in the house!” She scrambled for the door and this time he stopped her.
“No! I’ll go look for the cat, you call nine-one-one. Now-before it spreads.” He jumped from the car before she could argue.
Time passed in a blur.
Jason running in through the front door to look for the cat. Smoke at the back of the house turning to flames. Bile and panic racing in her veins while she waited for Jason to come out. And finally the fire engine, sirens blaring, racing down the driveway, the men pulling out the hose.