Simply Sinful (Simply 1)

He chuckled. “Never mind.” He reached around and patted the floor surrounding the heater. “Aha.” He held a small, rounded key aloft. Triumph lit eyes that she now realized were stunning—an aqua mix that emphasized more blue than green and turned her already mixed-up insides to pure mush.

She glanced at his find. “Let me guess. A skate key?”

“Sort of. Most of these old units need to be bled at the start of every season, sometimes more often. People familiar with them leave the key in a place they won’t forget. Otherwise you have to go running and hope you can find…”

“The nearest skater?” she asked wryly.

“She’d do in a pinch…if she looked like you.”

A burning flush heated her cheeks. With his stares and compliments, she probably resembled a tomato by now. “Look, Mr. McDermott, I appreciate your help, but you don’t have to flatter me.”

“Do compliments make you uncomfortable, Miss Luck?”

She shrugged, knowing he’d hit a nerve. In her experience, compliments were a means to an end.

“A woman like you should be used to them. I would think you’d take them in stride.”

“Let’s just say, I’d rather get back to the problem at hand,” she said, gesturing toward the heater. “I thought you bled a heater when there was no heat.”

“You do. But you might as well stabilize the system so you don’t have major problems when you turn it on again next winter.” He turned back to the heater, and soon the sound of water running into the bucket filled the otherwise silent room.

After her third trip to empty the water into the bathroom sink, he flipped the key and rose to his feet. “All set.” He wiped his damp hands on his pants, unconcerned with the damage he did to his suit. “As for the unit, give it some time. Chances are it’ll cool off without the help of the repairman.”

“Just clueing me in might have saved me a small fortune. Thanks.”

“Not a problem.” His gaze bored into hers, and a flash of dizziness assaulted her. She only wished she could blame the heat, but knew it was his penetrating stare that unnerved her.

“Reconsider that drink?” he asked.

She started to shake her head. “I…”

“Then I want lessons. And before you say anything, I know you don’t specialize in dating etiquette anymore, but consider this an emergency. I have dinner with my boss tomorrow night, and he plans on bringing his daughter. I don’t want to get involved with her, but I’d like to make a good impression and bow out gracefully at the end.” He paused, then said, “Have dinner with me tonight so you can teach me the finer points of charm and class.” He grinned and she discovered one dimple in his left cheek.

“I think you have enough of both,” she said wryly.

He shrugged. “So humor me. I’m giving you an excuse to say yes…and you know you want to.” His voice lowered an octave. Husky and seductive, it flowed through her veins.

“And I think you’re taking a lot for granted. How about I make some calls and see if one of my instructors is available to, uh, meet your needs.” She groaned inwardly. It had taken years to learn how to cover her insecurities, yet around Kane McDermott, she became the awkward girl she’d once been.

“I’d rather go with you.” His intense gaze begged her to believe.

Could he possibly be interested in her? Really in

terested? She shook her head, dismissing the possibility.

“Too bad for me.” Disappointment tinged his voice. “Guess I’ll be going with a stranger tonight.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m a stranger.”

“Funny, but it doesn’t feel that way.” His gaze locked with hers in a meaningful stare she couldn’t escape or mistake. There was a connection between them. They both knew it—just as they both knew he’d changed her mind.

She lowered herself into the swivel chair behind her desk. Leaning across the wooden top, Kane came within kissing breadth of her lips, and she caught an enticing hint of spearmint on his breath. “Are you going to disappoint a customer, Miss Luck?”

“Kayla.” She licked her dry lips.

He raised an eyebrow and straightened to his full height. “It seems I’ve made progress, Kayla.”

He most definitely had. “Well, I can’t very well go with you if you’re going to call me Miss Luck all night,” she said.