“It’s not here. It never leaves my house. Ever.”
“Will you show it to me sometime?” Justin’s hands were flying, emptying out the bags.
Damn, he was such a devil.
How can I refuse him an invitation to my house? “I’ll let you see my gun one day. First, let’s get through this mess.”
He had to be starving. She admired the hell out of his resolve. His introduction and lines earlier? Not as much.
She stood and walked to her desk.
“Break time already?” he asked.
“Maybe.” She smiled at him. “I think I might have some crackers in my desk.”
“Crackers?” His tone was heavy with hunger. “Really?”
She opened the drawer and pulled out the package of crackers with peanut butter in between.
She held it up and saw Justin’s tongue sweep across his lips. “Have some.”
Tossing the package over to him, she let her mind roll over the idea of what kissing him would be like.
Justin winked at her. “Good job, Shelby. Very good job.”
Another tingle. He’s not a Dom. He’s not from here. He’s from Elko. I need to get a grip.
She loved Wilde. The folks here might be odd to the outside, freaks even, but they were absolutely wonderful. She wouldn’t change a thing about any of them.
After consuming two crackers, he finally asked, “Shall we split this?”
“No. I’ve got another one.” She pulled out the other package, identical to the one she’d given him from the same emergency snack drawer in her desk. She held it up for him to see. “I only want a couple. If you’re still hungry, you may have the rest of these.”
“You’re too good to me, darlin’.” Justin stood and got right in front of her. Then he cupped her chin. “Those fools eating that barbeque at the ground breaking ceremony have nothing on us. This is fucking fine dining if you ask me.”
She grinned. Justin was definitely no pushover, and like it or not, she was responding to his blatant come-on. “I agree, cowboy. Still, the Wilde men do put out the best ribs in the state.”
“Ribs?” His voice trailed off for a moment, then he shook his head, releasing her chin. “You’re bad, Shelby. Really bad. I think this break is over.”
He sat back down and finished his last cracker. She moved next to him, inhaling his scent of leather and wood. As promised, she handed over the majority of her snack to him.
“Thanks, darlin’. What about something to drink?”
“Sorry, just these. There’s a water fountain in the hallway.”
“I saw it, but it can wait. Besides, I have an idea for later for the two of us.”
Two of us? Damn, this isn’t good.
He wasn’t making this easy for her. She needed to finish this task, thank him, and say good-bye. It would’ve been best if she had not brought him here. Why had she? Because she was a lost cause, always searching and hoping for the impossible. As Justin devoured the last cracker, she realized he did seem to enjoy the snack more than most. He’d eaten them fast.
“Better?” she asked.
“Much. Thanks.”
As they began working on the project again, she turned to him. “Alex is your brother?”
“Uh-huh,” he said, his mouth still full from the last cracker. “Him and Brandon.”