“If he wants to move back to town to be near his ex and their son, then maybe I have some leverage after all.” Steve glanced down at the resume. “So, you’re basically vetting this guy, huh?”
“Absolutely. Tom’s good as gold.”
“Then if he wants the job, it’s his.” He carelessly swept the papers onto the floor and patted the empty space next to him. “Now get your pretty little bum in bed.”
“Mmmm…that sounds awful bossy.” She went into the bathroom to wash her face and came out a couple of minutes later, wearing her rattiest pajamas, the ones that screamed Not Tonight!
Steve didn’t seem to notice her less-than-sexy look, or if he did, he wasn’t turned off by it. “I thought you liked bossy. But you can be the boss tonight if you want.” He laced his hands behind his head, causing the muscles in his biceps to bulge. “I surrender.”
Kitty gulped. She’d have to be blind to miss the growing erection barely covered by the thin black silk of those pajama bottoms.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have sex. Kind of the opposite, in fact. But at the moment, she wanted to talk more. If she allowed herself to be distracted by him, she’d end up giving in. Sure, she’d go to sleep happy, but still no more sure of where their relationship was going than when she’d walked through the door tonight.
The thing was she wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. She could always just come out and ask him. But…what if he confirmed her worst nightmare? What if he said, no, he didn’t love her? Could she continue living with him knowing that they didn’t have a future? The past eleven months had been the happiest of her life. Was she ready to throw that away?
She crawled onto the bed. “I got a text from my dad tonight. He’s coming down tomorrow and wants to meet us for dinner.”
Steve placed his mouth on the sensitive skin under her jaw. “That’s nice,” he murmured.
God he smelled good. Concentrate, Kit!
“I think he has a new girlfriend,” she said, starting to breathe a little heavily. If he used his tongue, she’d be a goner.
He hesitated for a brief second before he began nuzzling her earlobe. “Is he bringing her along?” His warm breath sent a current of electricity down her spine. Or what was left of it. All he had to do was kiss her and she practically turned to jelly.
“Yep.” Despite her better judgement, she angled her neck for easier access. “I wish he’d get married again.”
Steve froze. So much for the tongue action. Kitty wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or not. “You do?” he asked cautiously.
“If he met the right woman, then, yes, of course. He’s not getting any younger, you know. Think how sad it would be if he ended up all alone.”
Okay, so maybe she was laying it on a little thick, but surely he had to get what she was hinting at.
“He has you,” Steve said, retreating to his side of the bed. His voice definitely sounded strained. Or was she imagining it?
#
Steve watched out of the corner of his eye as Kitty climbed under the covers. “Well, yeah, but it’s not the same,” she said. “He’s only sixty-five. He should find a nice lady to enjoy his retirement with.”
He nodded. Mainly because he didn’t know what else to say or do. He’d only met Kitty’s father a few times, but Alan Burke didn’t seem like the settling down type. His last girlfriend had barely been legal. A real looker, but not much in the brains department. It was kind of pathetic, really. A guy should know when he was being ridiculous. Of course, it had probably been a mutually reciprocal relationship. Still, he’d been embarrassed for Kitty.
“Don’t you agree?” she said, staring back at him with her big brown eyes. A man could get lost in those eyes.
He remembered the first time he saw her, standing near the azalea bushes on the edge of her property. She’d worn a sundress, flimsy enough that he could make out the curves of the sweetest ass he’d ever had the privilege to lay eyes on. She wasn’t classically beautiful like her friend Shea. Or overtly sexy, like her other best friend Pilar. But there was a sweetness about her. Her smile lit up a room. She was quirky, and smart, and nice. And when he kissed her later that night, it was as if the sky had opened up and he was drowning in sunshine.
He wouldn’t have appreciated her when he was in his twenties. He’d been too much of a selfish asshole back then. But he liked to think he was smart enough now to know a good thing when he saw it. And Kitty Burke was definitely the best thing that had ever happened to him.
After a few long seconds, he realized she was waiting for him to say something.
“Um, sure. I agree.”
She snapped her fingers by his face. “Earth to Steve Pappas. Do you even know what you just agreed to?”
“How about we agree to talk about something else?” He reached out and scooped her up, laying her along his side. He wasn’t an idiot. He could read the signals. Something was troubling her. She might not want sex tonight but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do the cuddle thing. Funny. He’d never been a cuddle kind of guy, until he’d met her.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
She stiffened. “What do you mean?”