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"I—well—" Her cheeks turn a bonnie shade of pink as she rocks back on her heels. Her lips are tight, and she won't look at me, seeming to prefer to stare at the doorjamb. "Do you want the damn brownies or what?"
"You are a difficult one, aren't you?" When she finally meets my gaze, I wink. "I love a challenge."
"Oh please." She shakes her head. "I'd have you fleeing back to Scotland in a week, tops."
I swing the door wide, waving for her to come inside.
Casey tumbles over the threshold first, then Erica shuffles past me.
And I pluck the bag from her shoulder as she passes me. "A gentleman never permits a lady to carry a heavy load."
"It's brownies, not iron ore."
The bag isn't heavy, but my mother raised me to be respectful toward women. Sorcha MacTaggart would have my hide if I let Erica carry her own bag.
I shut the door. "Indulge me."
"Fine. But if you try to carryme, I'll bite you."
"An intriguing offer."
The confused look on her face makes me want to kiss her, and I can't help grinning at the lass.
Erica straightens, clears her throat, and shoves her hands into her jeans pockets. "It wasn't an offer."
"I know." I bend my head closer to hers. "Thank you for the sweets, Erica."
Since I've invited her into my home—ah, Gil's home—I might as well be neighborly. So I gesture for her to follow me deeper into the house. Erica and her pup trail me down the three steps into the sunken living room where an L-shaped sofa faces two armchairs with a glass-topped coffee table in the middle. Sliding glass doors overlook the backyard, and the sunshine streaming in through the windows and those doors makes Erica look even bonnier, the way the light gives her chestnut hair a golden shine.
She glances at the seating options, then drops down onto the sofa. Casey pounces onto the cushion beside her.
"Casey!" she cries out while trying to push the pup off, but he only snuggles closer to her. "I am so sorry. I let him lie on my sofa, and I don't usually take him to other people's houses."
I can't blame Casey for wanting to get as close as possible to Erica.
"Let the pup have his fun." I settle into an armchair and try not to smirk, but I can't restrain the expression. "Besides, it's not my sofa."
"Gil didn't demand a security deposit?"
"We're friends. He trusts me." I lean back in my chair and brace one ankle on the opposite knee. "Glad as I am to see you, I had the impression you wanted nothing to do with me."
She stares at me for several seconds, not blinking. Finally, she seems to shake off whatever she'd been thinking or feeling. "I thought we should clear the air."
"You mean talk about last night."
She nods, biting her lip. "I've never done anything like that in my life. I didn't intend for it to happen, and it most definitely will not happen again."
"So, you won't be molesting me here in the living room." I wag my eyebrows. Maybe I want her to molest me, but I shouldn't be flirting with her.
Her cheeks turn pink again, and she ducks her head to study the carpeting.
Christ, I've embarrassed her. What an erse I am.
"That was a stupid joke," I say. "I apologize, never meant to embarrass you."
"I humiliated myself quite well." She lifts her gaze to mine. "You must think I'm a total slut."
Tipping my head to the side, I watch her for a moment, wondering why she would say such a thing. Speaking to a stranger, even kissing one, doesn't make her a slag. "May I ask what you were doing in the club?"
