Page 34 of The Jellybean Dilemma

Also, he was wrong. It was practically every day I threw myself at him, or at least thought about it. I wasn’t sure who moved first, but our lips touched, gentle and tenuous. This shift between us was still so new and fragile, anything more intense might shatter it into a million pieces.

Greg pulled back, searching me as if looking for an answer, but I didn’t know the question. One side of his mouth ticked up. “Better get you out of this cold before you freeze.”

Cold? Nothing on me is cold. I basked in the delicious heat that spread through my body in the aftermath of his kiss. Freezing wasn’t an option, but I let him guide me into the car anyway. We made it to Raymond’s in a dazed silence.

Finally, a business with a decent parking lot. I still waited for Greg, threading my arm through his. Just in case. When we were safely inside, he hung up his coat. I studied the pictures lining the entryway and startled when he touched my shoulder.

“Can I hang up your coat?” he asked in a husky tone.

I nodded, and his fingers slipped under the edges, gliding the coat over my shoulders then down my arms as I stepped back. Images of him undressing me flashed through my imagination, and I hungrily followed his movements. He placed my coat on the rack, then spun around. But he looked past me and froze.

“What?” I asked, all kinds of scenarios running through my mind.

His throat bobbed before he answered. “My ex-girlfriend, Carrie, is Raymond’s daughter, and she’s here. I didn’t know she was back in town.” His panicked gaze landed on me, begging me for help. “She’s the main reason I left, why I took the job with your family.”

“Hey, it’s all right.” She must have done a number on him if he was this shaken after being gone for so many years. Indignation flared in me at the very thought of anyone hurting Greg. I stepped closer to him, wanting his focus on me. “We’ll just play pretend some more.” In one confident move, I reached up to cup his cheek. Then I stood on my tiptoes to brush my lips against his, splaying the fingers of my other hand against his chest for balance. “The girlfriend game, round two?”

A tentative smile appeared on his lips as some of his panic disappeared. Emboldened by his reaction, I not so subtly undid one more button on my blouse. I smirked when he went rigid once more.

“Rhonda?” His focus stayed on my chest.

Perfect. “I just want to be sure I have your full attention.” The button hovered on the line between sexy and too much, but it was for Greg, so I didn’t care. I leaned forward, just a little.

With his height, he definitely got an eyeful, and he sucked in a startled breath. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

A woman behind me called his name, but his focus stayed glued to that open space at the top of my cleavage. I couldn’t stop my grin, even as my stomach flipped. This time, I leaned into him, sliding my palms up his chest and tilting my chin. I wanted him to come to me.

I didn’t have to wait long.

His lips crashed onto mine, nothing fragile or unsure about this kiss. Sparks flew between us. Hints of the flames that could erupt if we’d stop dancing about and take that leap.

When I broke it off, I murmured, “We should probably behave. We are in a public place.”

He muttered back, “I don’t wanna.”

My grin widened. This time when I heard his name, I started to turn, but Greg still watched me. He wrapped a possessive arm around my waist, tugging me against him. I could get used to this.

A pretty brunette strode toward us. She was tall and athletic, a beautiful smile lighting her face while her ponytail swung behind her with each step. “Greg Peterson, is that you?”

Greg shifted to the side of me, his voice flat. “Carrie, hi. I didn’t realize you were back.”

She glanced my way. “Oh, and who do we have here?” The sneer in her voice couldn’t have been mistaken for anything else. I was surprised she didn’t just flat out say, “Oh, guess what the cat dragged in.”

I plastered on my best social smile, holding out my hand, fingers down in a way that baffled all women. A man would take my hand, thinking I wanted a kiss pressed to it. But a female? It couldn’t be turned into a handshake. She just had to grip my fingers awkwardly. A perfect power move.

“Hi. I’m Rhonda, Greg’s girlfriend. You must be one of his little friends from high school. He’s been showing me around his old stomping grounds all day.” I frowned, tilting my head up toward Greg. “I don’t remember you mentioning a Carrie, though.” With a dismissive shrug, I glanced back at her, happy to see her jaw clenching. “Must have slipped his mind.”

Then I noticed a familiar face on the wall behind her caught my eye and cried, “Oh, Greg, look! There’s a picture of Daddy. I knew he did a lot of his business meetings here, but how cool is that?” I grabbed Greg’s hand, pulling him along as I rushed over.

Carrie gasped when I stopped in front of my father’s picture. “I’ll just let Dad know that Malcolm Elgin’s daughter is here. Excuse me.” She hurried away.

I stared at the picture of my dad shaking hands with Raymond himself.

Greg’s low chuckle rumbled through me as he pressed against my back. “That was something else. I don’t think I’ve seen her scurry before.” He kissed my cheek. “Thank you.”

The two whispered words against my skin had me melting. “You’re welcome,” I murmured back. His hand rested on my hip, and I covered it with mine, feeling content, safe and way happier that I had been in months.

“Ms. Elgin?” A booming voice startled me from the trance Greg held me in.

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