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He was trying. It was difficult when they’d met in circumstances that had her gasping into blue unconsciousness in his hold.
The browse in the bookstore and slow wander through the leafy outdoor mall had been kinder to his blood pressure.
It was close to dinnertime when he pulled the car to a stop outside her house, although he couldn’t imagine that she would need feeding again for at least three days.
“This was fun,” she said, turning that beautiful smile on him.
He couldn’t resist reaching out to touch a gentle thumb to her lower lip in a brief caress.
“It was,” he agreed.
“I told you I can be fun,” she continued resolutely, as if the point had been in doubt.
“You make an excellent friend.”
She eyed him narrowly, as if wondering if he was being sarcastic.
He wasn’t, this time.
“Well, that’s true,” she agreed lightly, relaxing. “I am an excellent friend. I can produce numerous references to that effect. I’m a great listener. I never drunk dial people at three am. I bake a mean cupcake and I’ll happily look after your pet when you go on holiday.”
Mick considered that.
“I don’t have a pet.”
She made a rude noise in her throat and tapped a finger on the dashboard of the Lexus.
“I’ve seen the way you treat your car,” she said. “I beg to differ.”
“It’s a hire.”
“Oh, is it? Is that why it’s so clean?”
“No,” said Mick patiently. “It’s clean because I took it through the car wash this morning. I always have my cars cleaned once a week, whether they’re my own or a rental.”
Sophy would probably have looked at him in the same way had he just confessed to a penchant for cross-dressing or a latent toe fetish.
“We may have to re-evaluate this friendship,” she said after an appalled silence. “I’m trying to break my lifelong habit of associating with neat freaks. It isn’t healthy.”
He gave her arm a light pinch and went around to help her out of the car.
“You don’t have to walk me in,” she protested before wincing. “Sorry, was that rude? I should probably ask you in for coffee.”
“I’ll have to decline the gracious offer,” Mick replied, smiling, “as my system was rebelling against caffeine halfway through the tanker of espresso.” His voice was more serious as he added, “I want to make sure there aren’t any more anonymous surprises waiting for you.”
She had told him about the second gift during the trip up the gondola. It might be and probably was completely harmless. He couldn’t fault the taste of her would-be admirer. However, somebody had now targeted both her personal workspace and her home. That was reason enough to be wary. And the biggest tell: Sophy herself was disturbed. Mick would put the power of instinct above rational thought any day. It had saved his own life and that of his compatriots more than once. It wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on the situation.
He bent to greet an exuberant Jeeves as Sophy opened the front door and the black-and-white torpedo rocketed out like a popped cork.
“There’s no need to act like I abandoned you without sustenance in the desert,” Sophy complained to the dog, dodging to avoid a lathering to the face. “Melissa and Dale should be home by now. Their presentation finished at three.”
“This is your friend Dale?” Mick asked, following her into the hallway.
“Melissa’s ex,” she replied. “They work together and they’re still good friends.” Her voice lowered as she cut a quick look toward an open door. “I’ve been wondering if they’re drifting back together, actually. He seems to have basically moved in.”
“Ah.”
“He’s a pain in the ass. You’ll hate him,” she joked, leading the way into a homey, slightly retro living area.
