Explosive Alliance (Wingmen Warriors 9)

"Hell, no." He spoke on autopilot, mostly still enjoying the way her full lips formed words or pursed when she listened, lips devoid of any gloss. The dampness would taste of pure her. "I worked my ass off with child-psych classes and testing-statistic courses. Then there was music theory. And the first day of student teaching was a bi— Uh, particularly challenging."

She leaned back against her hands. "There are women who would plant a big kiss on your face for recognizing that working with kids is a tough job."

Her eyes crinkled at the corners, her laughter ringing like a song he might try to write someday. The tune, totally and uniquely Paige, swirled in his head, scaling back life and concerns until he said to hell with it all and just felt the music. He was only going to kiss her, after all, not start some steaming affair.

Bo stepped closer. "Are you one of those women?"

No, every rational bone in her body screamed. No, she wasn't the sort of woman who would throw her arms around this gorgeous, oh-so-young and too-charming man standing across from her on the porch steps.

But right now she sure wanted to be. "You're smooth, Rokowsky."

"Not smooth enough, apparently, because you're still standing over there." He tapped the toe of her shoe with his.

All of about twenty-four inches away. Close enough to catch the scent of leather. "You want to kiss me?"

"I was thinking you would kiss me in light of the whole 'Bo rocks because he knows kids can run you ragged as hell' revelation." He straightened from the porch post, closer without touching. "And then I would kiss you back."

Her fingers dug into the splintery wood behind her. "Do you hit on every woman in your path?"

Closing in on her, he hitched a foot up one step higher, the heat of his thigh brushing hers as he effectively blocked her way. "No need to be insulting."

Her fingers held tighter to the wooden post behind her until splinters stung. "Glad you realize that would constitute smarmy behavior."

She'd only dated a couple of men—boys really—before Kurt, but she wasn't a total innocent, and she had been married for ten years. Ten? Paige shuddered. She didn't want to think about her dead husband, especially not now.

Something was drawing her to this man in spite of all the logic telling her to keep her hormones sealed up tight for two weeks. A full day of undiluted Bo Rokowsky made for a heady brew to a woman who'd been a damn long time without a drink.

A persistent inner voice that sounded remarkably like her practical big brother reminded her she hadn't been tempted to drink even lemonade with Chuck Anderson, much less taste him. And, man, now that Bo had placed the image in her head of the two of them, legs tangled...

Hello? Like the vision wasn't already there.

"I'm a one-at-a-time guy, thank you very much. Whatever I'm doing, I give it my complete and undivided attention."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, and I really want to give my undivided attention to kissing you." A furrow tucked between his brows. "No, wait. I would more than kiss you. I'd touch your hair and let it slide through my fingers. I'd smell your neck and wonder what that aloe scent is—"

"Avon's Skin So Soft, a mosquito repellant."

"And a mighty sexy bug repellant it is, suddenly the most erotic scent ever."

Damn, he was hypnotic even when he was funny.

Step away!

Step away from the bad boy, her mind blared like a recorded warning that people too often ignored and vaulted right over the restricted-area rope into forbidden territory.

Fishing the house key out of her pocket, she eased down a stair, farther from the heat of his thigh and the scent of leather. "Well, thanks for the compliment, but I believe I'll pass.">"I'm not a doctor, remember?"

"Whatever. Although I'm not sure how much of a compliment you've given me if you're comparing me to that hack."

"Seth's a great pilot, too, but even he's not as smooth as you are—and if you tell him I said that, I'll have to deny it."

"No problem." He knelt to set a chock in front of the nose gear. "And thanks."

"No problem," she repeated.

She studied him through narrowed eyes as if she couldn't see him clearly, when he knew full well her new glasses should be working fine.