“You’ll need a generator to heat the water.”
“What’s that?”
He stalled. “You want to own a home-supply business and you don’t know what a generator is?” Shit, this was worse than he thought.
“It’s a home-and-garden business, which once upon a time was a flower shop. I think I can handle it. And”—she waved a finger in his face—“I do own it. My name is Baughman, remember?”
“Your father owns it, and I’m the one that knows about the business—and what a generator is—remember?”
She huffed again and Jake was one deep breath away from seeing everything he’d dreamed of when he was a teenager.
“If you just meet me halfway,” he said, trying to find some common ground, literally, “I’m happy to give you what you need.”
“You have no idea how much I need—”
She caught herself, and Jake wanted to know what she’d been about to say. So he pushed.
“I think I know what you need . . .” His voice was deeper than he’d meant.
“Yeah, well, what I need is something I refuse to have, so I’ll just stick with the hot water.”
This piqued his interest. “I hope we’re talking about the same thing.”
She raised a brow and crossed her arms, which did amazing things for her cleavage.
“I’m not dating anyone, Jake. So don’t even try.”
“Oh, I’m not trying to date you.”
Her mouth parted, and he smiled.
“Well, I’m not having sex, either. It’s a vow to myself,” she said. But her
self didn’t look entirely on board with that statement.
“Why in the hell would you make that vow?”
“Because I need to stay focused. And the one person I was with before didn’t leave me missing anything, so it’s fine.”
“Whoa, back up, did you say one?” Jake asked in shock.
Her eyes went wide, as if she’d just dished a secret she hadn’t meant to. Holy shit, the prom queen has only been with one man.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’m simply telling you this so you understand where my priorities are. With the shop, not with you.”
Time to get sneaky.
“Uh-huh. So you are aware of your attraction to me?” he asked.
“Of course I’m aware. I mean, look at you!”
That made him smile and her frown once again. He always had loved her mouth. Especially when it was spilling admissions about him and how much she was attracted to him.
But now he was not only aware that the gorgeous Miss Baughman had only had one sexual partner in the past ten years, but that she didn’t seem to miss it. Therefore she hadn’t been properly loved. Which made Jake want to rectify that situation real bad.
But she had her rules. No dating. No sex.
She seemed less firm on that last rule, though. And what constituted sex in her mind?