Page 10 of Deal Takers

I raise my eyebrows. “Boston?”

“Yeah. I’m in grad school.”

Thank God, he doesn’t even live here.As if he’s reading my mind he adds, “But don’t worry, beautiful. I’ll be back. I’m coming home after I graduate next year.”

“Home is Seattle?”

He steps back slightly to regard me. “Technically, I grew up about twenty miles south of the city, but this is where I plan on being if all goes well on the job front. I’m going into aerospace engineering. Convenient that one of the largest plants in the world is right here, don’t you think?”

I eye him skeptically. “You’re going to design planes for a living?”

He puffs his chest out. “I sure am. Are you impressed?”

“Meh, not really.”

Okay, total bullshit right there. Smart guys are extra hot in my opinion, but there’s no way I’m telling him that.

He leans in to whisper, “You’re sexy when you lie, do you know that?”

I roll my eyes as I push him off me. “What makes you think I’m single?”

“Oh, you’re single,” he says confidently. “Or if you’re taken, you’re not with a guy that can hold your interest. You wouldn’t look at me the way you do if you were.”

“Last time I checked, being repulsed by someone looks entirely different than wanting to do the dirty with them.” I wiggle the fingers on my left hand in front of his face. “For your information, Iamtaken, and he holds my interest just fine.”

He stares at my shiny new ring. “You’remarried? You weren’t wearing a ring when we first met. Trust me, I checked.”

“I’m engaged actually. I don’t wear the ring at work because it would tear through my exam gloves.”

His frown quickly morphs into a smirk. “You can pretend all you want, Rainey. Ring or no ring, you and I both know I make your panties wet.”

“Wow, somebody sure is full of himself,” I scoff. “Can your ego get any bigger?”

“If you think my ego is big, you should see my dick.” He rubs his chin in mock contemplation. “Oh wait…youalready have!”

“And on that note, I’m leaving.” I scoot to the side and make my way toward the door.

He grabs my wrist. “Wait. I really think you should give this some thought.”

Pointedly, I eye my wrist, waiting to speak until he releases it. “What planet are you from? How much moreobvious can I be? Even if I was single, I’m not interested, Brody!”

In an instant, his expression turns from playful to impassioned. Before I can register what’s happening, he grabs my arm and yanks me into him until my breasts are mashed up against his chest.God, he smells good.

“You’re interested,” he whispers into my ear, making me shiver. “Your nipples are telling me that you’reveryinterested. Now, I don’t normally make a habit of going after someone else’s girl, but I can’t seem to get you out of my head. I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t try, andtrustmewhen I say I can be awfully tenacious.”

I surreptitiously glance down and see that my headlights are on high beam.Traitorous bitches!This guy’s proximity is making me lose my scruples. Why does he have to be so attractive? For the record, I donotnormally react to a man this way. Not since Adam and I started seeing each other anyway. I don’t know why I’m reacting this way. Ican’t standthat my body is betraying me like this.

“You’re a jackass,” I say, stepping away from him. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I think our bathroom rendezvous is officially over.”

I hear the smug bastard laughing as I step into the hallway and close the door.

CHAPTER 7

FOUR YEARS AGO

Brody

“Honey, I’m home!”

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