Page 42 of Booked on a Feeling

“Why are you being so sensible?” she said sullenly. He was right, of course. Things could get very complicated very quickly.

“Because it’s you, Lizzy.” His eyes were so dark, she could drown in their depths. “I can’t rush headfirst into something just because I want you.”

“I want you, too.” She must’ve developed selective hearing, because that was all that stood out to her. “I don’t think I can stop wanting you.”

“You can’t say things like that.” He wrapped his hand around her neck and pressed his forehead against hers.

“Why not?” She breathed in the scent of him.

“Because I’m not strong enough to resist you.”

“Really?” She hoped they were too close for him to notice that she was grinning from ear to ear. He was going to cave.

“It’s not funny.”

“I’m not laughing,” she said with a burst of laughter. “Fine, I am, but I’m not laughing at you. I’m just so happy.”

“I would do anything—anything—to make you happy,” he said fervently.

“Then let’s do this. Let’s kiss again.” She tilted her head so her lips were just a breath away from his. “Let’s be more and see where this leads us.”

He kissed her, sweet and lingering, but he pulled away much too quickly and got to his feet. “But we’re taking this slowly.”

“I can do slow.” As a general rule, she wasn’t the most patient person, but she would’ve agreed to anything right now. “We can think of the next couple of weeks as kind of a trial period. How about that?”

“I like that.” He reached down to help her to her feet. “And if we feel like this isn’t working, then we go back to the way things were. Go back to being best friends without being weird about it.”

“Taking things slow with a fallback plan. Got it.”

“You’re being much too agreeable.” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Her smile was angelic. “You’re just making a lot of sense at the moment.”

“So…” He stuffed his hands in his shorts pockets and rocked back on his feet. “Are you free this evening?”

“I am, actually.” Was she blushing? Why was she blushing? “Any particular reason you want to know?”

“Will you have dinner with me?” His grin was playful and sexy. Oh, mercy.

“Yes. I’d like that.” Her heart was beating way too fast. Was she about to pass out? She might need to start carrying smelling salts if sexy Jack intended to make regular appearances.

“Say at seven o’clock?” Had his voice always been so low and rumbly? It traveled down her spine in a delicious tingle.

“Sounds good to me,” she chirped. Like a dork.

“Okay. I’ll pick you up then.” He tapped her on the nose and walked back to the table he was working on. “Now go strip that chair.”

“Bossy,” she grumbled, trying and failing to hide her smile. She donned her mask and lovingly sanded the chair, anticipation coursing through her veins.

This was going to be so much fun.

Jack rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt and checked his reflection in the mirror. Option Two flew out the window the moment his lips touched Lizzy’s. He was crap at getting over her anyway. But where did that leave him? He shied away from Option Three: Make her fall in love with him. It was too soon for that. They were taking things slowly. Option One: Maintain the status quo, was still a viable choice if things went south. He winced at the thought, though. He wasn’t sure what it would mean for this to work out, but he hated the idea of itnotworking out.

And he couldn’t deny that this new direction in their relationship made him even more desperate to hear back from McBain. Starting his career as a business analyst was about finding out what he was made of and following his own dream, but it would also mean moving to Los Angeles and being close to Lizzy.

He fidgeted with the collar before smoothing down the front of his charcoal-gray slacks. He was definitely overdressed. Probably. But he wanted to look nice for his first date with Lizzy.

His first date with Lizzy.

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