“Huh. I guess I did say that, but that wasn’t what I meant.” He sighed. “I haven’t spent a lot of time dating in the last couple of years. I know you think I’m living at home because I’m some kind of loser, but I did it because my sister needed help. Now I do it because my mother’s getting older. She hasn’t lived alone in fifty years, and the house is a lot to keep up. I stay over the garage because I need my space. It’s why I haven’t gotten serious about anyone. No one wants a boyfriend who has to drop everything because his sister needs someone to babysit for her.”
“I didn’t say you were a loser.” But she’d thought it. And of course, she had to think about what he considered helping. She could see a world where Zep put everything on hold so he could “help” out. If she was going to have any kind of relationship with him, she had to accept the fact that he wasn’t a man like the ones she’d known. He was unfocused, unambitious, and maybe unreliable.
Though she had to admit he was helping her out now, and he hadn’t drowned her in judgment. He’d accepted her explanation easily and done everything he could to help her out.
A wistful look came over his face and she wanted so badly to reach out and touch him. “You wouldn’t be the first.”
She unbuckled her belt, and despite all the alarm bells going off, she moved closer to him. “I didn’t want to date anyone at the time. And you said it yourself, you don’t date much at all, so let’s call it what it is. You wanted to know why I didn’t hook up with you again. As it so happens, I’ve been wondering that myself.”
She’d thought about it all day. Why shouldn’t she indulge herself every now and then? They could keep it quiet. It wasn’t anyone’s business but their own, and from what she could tell, Zep wasn’t bad at keeping secrets. She hadn’t heard about his conquests in a long time.
“Wondering what?” he asked.
“If we shouldn’t use this time to decide if we can make it work. I’m not seeing anyone. I assume you’re not seeing anyone.”
His smile went from wistful to wolfish in a heartbeat. “I’m not seeing anyone, Roxanne.”
She should run because just the way he said her name made her shiver. She wasn’t the type of woman who shivered with desire. Nope. Sex was a bodily function and it was good, but it shouldn’t make her go all gooey on the inside at the thought.
It had been too long. That was the problem. When she’d slept with him before, she’d been overly emotional. It had been the anniversary of her divorce, and that had colored her view. This time she could put the experience where she should have that night. It would be sex and nothing more. A booty call. A mutually beneficial experience.
The fact that his truck was so old made it easy to move closer to him. It had an old-school bench as the front seat. There was nothing there to stop him from sliding her way. Nothing to stop her from doing the same until they met in the middle.
“You want to give us a shot?” His hand moved to cup the side of her face.
It was taking a chance on her part. “I think it could work. We don’t even have to be discreet right now. Why don’t you kiss me? It’s part of our cover. I think you promised me if I was kissing you, I didn’t have to talk to my mother.”
He was so close, she could feel the warmth of his body. He leaned in, his mouth hovering over hers. “I did promise you that. I don’t want to be known as a man who doesn’t keep his promises.”
His hand moved to the nape of her neck, sending a spark of arousal down her spine right before he kissed her.
His lips brushed hers and a soft warmth spread through her body. It had been so long since anyone had touched her in an affectionate way. Not since the last time this man had taken her into his arms. That was the only reason her body seemed electric. That was the only reason her heart seemed to soften. He kissed her slowly at first, as though he was willing to take all the time in the world because nothing was more important than this moment and this kiss. His fingers threaded through her hair. She’d left it down because if she didn’t, her mother would talk endlessly about how she would never attract a man if she didn’t look feminine. But now she was glad because she loved the way he lightly gripped her, using her hair to gently move her the way he wanted.