“Careful,” he said in a soothing and far-too-sexy tone that made Reese’s stomach flutter as she tried not to focus on the heat of his hands. Or the strength of them.
Or, most of all, just how good she knew they would feel moving over every inch of her, head to toe, while she begged him for more, more, more!
She turned to glare at Jocelyn, knowing her best friend would clearly understand her message—Why didn’t you warn me he was walking into the gallery?
From behind Trent, Jocelyn mouthed, Sorry. I didn’t see him!
“What are you doing here, Trent?” Reese didn’t mean to snap, but she was really embarrassed that he’d heard her talking about him in such intimate detail. It didn’t help that he was standing way too close as he helped her down the ladder, looking way too hot and smelling way too delicious.
This was not good. Not good at all.
Or maybe the problem was that he was too good.
Oh God.
“I wanted to come by to give you the good news in person,” he said with an easy smile. “The two of us are going to be working together on the community-outreach project.”
“The mural?” Reese smoothed her jeans to give her hands something to do besides reaching out to touch him. “What do you mean we’ll be working together?”
“I’m managing the project.” His piercing blue eyes never wavered from hers. “I came over to set up a meeting so we can talk about the details.”
How the heck had he been the person at the resort chosen to work with her on this? How was she going to work with him when she couldn’t even talk to him? Didn’t anyone realize they were divorced? And that divorced couples shouldn’t spend a bunch of time together...especially when they had a knack for wanting to rip off each other’s clothes?
“Are you free tonight?”
His easy smile hadn’t changed, but the air between them sizzled. Even though he wasn’t asking her on a date, that was exactly what this felt like to her crazy, lust-befuddled brain.
“Tonight?” She tried to think up an excuse to buy a little more time to prepare herself. But when she opened her mouth, all that came out was, “Sure.”
His smile broadened. “Great. How does six o’clock in the resort conference room on the second floor sound?”
The resort conference room? Okay, maybe all this heat is just in my head. “That sounds fine.”
He glanced at his watch, then said casually, “I’m meeting my mother and Sierra for lunch. I’d better run.”
“You’re taking lunch off?” She was a little embarrassed that surprise rang loudly in her voice, but the Trent she’d left in New York wouldn’t have taken off time in the middle of the afternoon to have lunch with anyone but an important client. In fact, she could count on one finger the number of times they’d had lunch together on a weekday.
“Things have changed, Reese.” His smile was gone now, and he was looking at her with an intensity that seared through her.
“Have they?” She hadn’t meant to ask the question but, again, the words were out before she could stop them. Before he could answer, however, and make the quicksand between them any deeper, she said, “Please tell them I said hello.”
“I will. And I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas for the mural tonight.”
With that, he headed out the door while Reese stood there with her hand covering her heart.
“See?” she said to Jocelyn. “Every time he talks to me, or touches me, I’m nineteen all over again. This is so freaking ridiculous.”
“Honestly, you were a bit of a bumbling mess. Adorable, but bumbling.”
“Thanks, Joce. You could have at least lied to me.” Reese put her face in her hands and mumbled, “What am I going to do?”
“Him,” Jocelyn said.
When Reese lifted her head from her hands, she tried to look shocked at the suggestion that she hop back into bed with her ex. But it wasn’t easy to pretend she hadn’t been wanting just that from the moment she’d tumbled into Trent’s arms outside Shelley’s café. Even if she knew opening that door with Trent was dangerous. They were too drawn to each other. It was too easy to get lost in him, and if he put his hands on her? She’d be a goner for sure.
Still, she made herself say, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’ve known you my whole life,” Jocelyn said. “And what I just witnessed has only happened once before—the last time you fell head over heels for Trent Rockwell.”
The last time? “What am I going to do?” Reese felt more twisted up and confused than she ever had before. “A week ago I was ready to leave the past behind and finally move on.”
“Or maybe you had your life on hold because you were still in love with Trent.”