Page 9 of Personal Escort

“Oh?”

Sharp and knowing, but not jaded. She blushes, a faint sweep of pink across her cheeks that makes the blue of her eyes pop even brighter. “I thought he’d warn you off me.”

“He did that, too.” This is a weird conversation, one we’ve never had to have before. I try to soften the awkwardness. “But in a half-hearted kind of way. Like you got to him with your teasing and he just wanted to set the record straight, not actually threaten me.”

She hesitates as our ice cream plates are set in front of us. Three delicate scoops, one green tea, one red bean, the last, vanilla on her plate, and mango on mine. She lifts her spoon and touches it to the green tea scoop before pausing and glancing back up at me. “Iwasjust teasing before. You know that, right?”

“Of course.” And that’s not disappointment swelling in my chest. “I told him as much.”

“Good.” She takes her first taste and makes a soft, satisfied sound that is way too womanly for my liking.

Or just womanly enough.

“Yum,” she whispers, her eyes closed and her lips…

Her lips.

The tip of her tongue darts out and licks the soft, pink swell of her lower lip, and all the blood in my body reverses course.

No need to worry about oxygenating organs where there’s a dick ready to stand at attention.

Hello, Cara’s mouth. Nice to meet you. Toby’s dick, ready to molest you.

I jam my hand against the table and cough. Jesus Fucking—

“Is it no good?” She asks, blinking her eyes open at me in confusion.

Nope.

No good at all.

I clear my throat and reach for my spoon. “I was just thinking about your brother,” I say gruffly. Yep, Ben. Mr. Overprotective. Mr. Family Matters. Mr. Probably Wants a Baby. Yes. That’s a good damper on inappropriate feelings. “I think he’s two steps away from sending for a mail order bride.”

She sighs. “My grandmother has given me thethou must get hitchedspeech, too. And today she ramped up the pressure, just like Ben said.”

I frown. “Why?” Ben makes sense. He’s thirty-five, and effectively the head of his family. I can understand his grandmother wanting him married. Hell, I can understandBenwanting himself married.

But Cara’s just a kid.

No, we’re all very clear on the fact she’s an adult now. An adult who was a kid last time I looked, and is way too young to be pressured into any forever kind of plans.

She screws up her face, then blinks open one eye and looks right at me. “I think I might have a solution, though.”

Something about the way she’s looking at me, likedon’t judge me,maybe, orcan I trust you with thismakes my chest tighten up. “What’s that?”

She hesitates, then drops her gaze back to her ice cream. Another scoop, another indecent moan.

“You don’t want to tell me?” I take a taste of my own ice cream. It’s amazing. Sweet and creamy, with the unexpected Japanese flavors making the whole thing that much more interesting.

“Probably shouldn’t.”

“I won’t tell Ben.”

She flashes me an indecisive look.

“I really won’t.”

I get a small smile for that. “I believe you. You didn’t tell him about the time I was arrested.”

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