AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He stalks up the drive and then climbs the steps, striding confidently in a way that reminds me how strong and masculine he is. His eyes stay locked on me, roving from my toes that show in my strappy sandals, up my bare legs, over my skirt and blouse, and all the way up to my short curls. At the sight of my smirking lips, he grins. It’s a cocky smile that teases me, making me wonder what filthy thoughts he’s got brewing in his mind with that smoldering look. The way he stares has me wishing he would act on that clear need to devour me, but he holds back.
Stopping at the other side of the porch, he gives me one last up-and-down look and grips the handle of my suitcase. He gives it a slight pull, and as the wheels roll across the wooden planks, his brows rise.
“We’re staying for one night, right?” he asks with too much humor lacing his tone.
I roll my eyes as he pulls and pushes the suitcase back and forth, testing its density.
“One night,” I agree. It sounds like so long, yet too short at the same time.
“One night?” He lowers the handle to pick up the luggage. “And you need all of this?” He pats the side of the suitcase.
“Yes.” I tip my chin up. “Yes, I do.” I don’t. I doubt I’ll even touch half the stuff in there, but because he’s got me so worked up and nervous and excited, I feel vulnerable and unsure of what to do or wear. Hence, the obvious loophole of simply bringing too much and having more than enough options.
“You packing bricks in here?” he teases as he heads down the steps. “A dead body?”
“Oh, shut up.”
He chuckles. “But what all is in here that you need for one night away?”
“Things.” I shoot him a look, trying to take his teasing in stride. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“I’m not sure I wanna understand. I know you’re high-maintenance and all…” He sets the suitcase in the back of the truck and then opens the passenger door for me. “But, damn, Claire. If you pack that much for one night away, I shudder to think of what you’d bring for a real vacation.”
I enter his truck, pausing long enough to swat at his chest. It’s a mistake I regret instantly. Brushing my hand against the rock-hard wall of muscles makes me want to rub up alongside him in a slower drag of torture.
As he steps back, I slam the door shut. I counted on his criticism and joking. Still, it annoys me. He isn’t angering me, and as I sit there and watch him round the truck for the driver’s door, I bite back a smile. If this isn’t a case of a boy pulling a girl’s pigtails for attention, I don’t know what to make of his attraction.
“This isn’t a vacation,” I remind him as hotly as I can when he gets in and buckles up.
“Not for me, it isn’t.”
I frown as he reverses. Does he mean it’s work to deal with me? Or does he mean he’s seeing this trip as a business necessity for himself?
“I’m working,” I tell him again. I don’t care if he calls me high-maintenance. I am. It would be a lie to suggest otherwise. But it does matter to me that he understands I’m heading to Denver for a job.
“I need to find the fabrics for Lauren’s dress.”
“Hmm-mmm.” He nods as he speeds up on the road. “Which is why you had to pack all your equipment in that case?”
I smirk, losing my fight with a smile. “No.”
“Then what the hell did you put in that suitcase?”
“Options.”
“For you? If this is a work trip, how many wardrobe changes do you need?”
I tilt my head, eyeing him closely as he drives. “Sawyer?”
He glances at me.
“Why are you obsessing about what I wear?”
The barest hint of a blush shows on his cheeks, and he shakes his head.
“It’s more like I’m trying to stop thinking about what you’re not wearing.”
Oh, boy. I swallow, my mouth suddenly dry. I didn’t think he’d take the bait like that and play right along with me. I can handle flirting as well as any other woman, but that comment has me feeling too warm. Too turned-on.
