Page 10 of Georgia Guy
“Good idea,” I respond.
Flo is already walking away when it hits me. The expression on my face must betray how distraught I feel because Joe asks, “What’s wrong?”
When I don’t immediately answer, he says, “Let me guess, there’s only one bed to sleep in. Is this your slick way of seducing me?”
“Yes… I mean, no.” I stammer. At Joe’s confused expression, I clarify, “Yes there’s only one bed, but that’s not what’s upsetting me.”
“Oh really?” Joe waggles his thick eyebrows suggestively.
I roll my eyes at the man’s overt flirtation. “Yes, really. You can have the bed, and I’ll stay out here. The seats recline all the way back.”
After I lean my chair back, Joe says, “You take the bedroom, and I’ll sleep out here. My mama would take away my Southern Gentleman card if I stole a woman’s bed.”
I grin at the silly man before saying, “No, really, it’s fine. I won’t be able to sleep anyway.”
Giving me an assessing gaze, he says, “Don’t tell me that you’re one of those workaholics whose mind never shuts off long enough to allow for sleep.”
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
He continues staring, making it obvious that he’s not going to let it go until he knows what is bothering me. Huffing out an exasperated breath, I finally say, “I never sleep without my stuffy.”
“Your stuffy? Is that some kind of fancy, high-tech breathing apparatus?” he asks, obviously confused.
“No, he’s my stuffed bunny, Mr. Fluffy.”
“It’s not an actual rabbit that’s been preserved through taxidermy, is it?” he asks.
“Eww, no! That’s disgusting,” I grouch, annoyed that he would think that of me.
He shrugs his wide shoulders. “Rich people are an eccentric bunch.”
“Mr. Fluffy is no more real than a teddy bear,” I assure him.
Despite how much I keep silently telling myself that Joe has no right to judge me, I feel my cheeks heat at the amused look he gives me after my embarrassing admission sinks in.
“So, the great Alexandra Morrow still sleeps with a stuffed animal every night?” He’s quirking one eye brow as if he can’t quite believe it.
“So what?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. “Mr. Fluffy is soft and warm. Snuggling up next to him comforts me and helps me relax.”
Joe shifts in his seat before saying under his breath, “I never imagined that I’d be jealous of a stuffed animal.”
8
JOE
One minute Alex seems like a tough-as-nails business mogul, then the next, she does an about-face and admits that she can’t sleep without her stuffed bunny. She’s so different than I expected her to be––in wonderful, intriguing ways.
Unable to resist flirting with her, even though I know I’m dancing with danger, I offer, “I could sub-in for Mr. Fluffy and curl up in bed with you tonight.”
I hold up my arms in her direction before adding, “I’m an excellent cuddler.”
The surprised chuckle bursts out of her before she’s able to tame it. “I bet you are, but that sounds like a colossally bad idea.”
I wince as if she has physically injured me. “Did you have to go with ‘colossally bad’? I would have gotten your point if you’d simply stuck with bad.”
“Bad doesn’t quite cover how terrible of an idea it is,” she responds quickly.
The wide grin that spreads across her face lets me know that she’s enjoying our silly banter as much as I am.
