* * *
“Yes. Of course, Ellie… I’ll see you there… I’m leaving in a few minutes… Okay… Bye.”
I catch the tail end of Gavin’s conversation and come down the stairs in time to see him hang up his phone.
“I need to discuss something with you in the car,” I mention as I hit the bottom step.
Gavin whirls around and chokes at the sight of me. His eyes bug out of his head like a cartoon character and his mouth drops open. Then… he bursts into laughter. The little shit. Honest to god, full belly, tears-in-his-eyes laughter.
“What?” I snap. If he hadn’t started laughing I would have sworn I saw desire on his face when I came down the stairs. Hell, his tongue practically rolled out of his mouth.
“W-what on earth? I-I mean…” The laughter continues.
I cross my arms and scowl, waiting for him to stop acting like a brat. “Are you done?”
Gavin wipes his eyes. “I don’t know, Mitch. What the hell?” He points at me, waving his hand up and down my body. “What are you wearing?”
I scoff. “We’re going to be late. Can I catch you up in the car?” Annoyed at the fact that Gavin is still giggling like a schoolgirl, I snatch my keys off the foyer table and stomp outside to wait on the front step.
“Oh god,” he whispers in a husky voice as he follows behind me.
“What?” I yell, whirling around until we’re nose to nose. I know I’m being unprofessional, but I can’t help myself. He’s being such a dick. “Am I too embarrassing to be seen with? Am I not good enough for the perfect Gavin Walker?”
“No!” Gavin responds to my accusations, holding up a hand to keep me from crashing into him.
I pull back, still furious. “I need to lock the door,” I snarl.
“Jesus, Mitch. What the fuck?” Gavin backs away from the door, heading towards the car.
I shouldn’t care what he thinks. This is work.
After locking up and pulling the car out of the driveway, I feel like the world’s biggest jerk.
“Sorry for yelling,” I say at the same time Gavin mumbles, “Sorry for laughing.”
“Christ,” I chuckle. “Aren’t we a pair?”
“Yeah,” he agrees. “So,” I can see Gavin check out my clothing again from the corner of my eye. “What is with the outfit?”
“Is it that bad?” I ask, biting my bottom lip as I glance over at all six feet plus of beautiful blonde man reclining in the passenger seat.
“No! Not at all. I’m just not used to seeing you like…this,” he says, waving his hand at my clothes again.
“Like what?”
Here we go again. I’m getting all offended. And why? Because he doesn’t like my clothes? Why the hell do I care?
Gavin lets out a long, tortured breath. “All sexy, okay? Shit.” He looks out the side window, hiding his face. I see a crimson blush spread over the one visible cheek and ear.
“Oh.” I grin. “So I’m sexy?” I tease. That explains his mixed reaction.
Gavin barks out a laugh, still staring out the passenger window. “Yeah, like you don’t know that.”
He thinks I’m sexy? For some reason that has me inherently pleased. More pleased than I should be but hell, it’s not everyday you get your ego stroked by a rock star. A gorgeous one at that.
Aaaaand, I shove that right back into the nifty little space in my brain that’s storing up all the thoughts I want to deny ever having.
It’s getting crowded in there.