She stared at the phone’s screen. She had to admit she liked him. Thought he was sexy as hell. Wanted to jump his bones and see if he looked as good out of clothes as he did in. She was pretty sure he did.
But he scared her, not because she thought he was the kind of man who wouldn’t take no for an answer, but because he was the first man she’d felt a hint of interest in since she’d kicked her ex out of her life.
Maybe it was the fact they were always being thrown together because of their connection to Jace and Maddy, or maybe it was sitting beside him in the hospital when he’d been recovering from a gunshot wound, or the way his gaze smoldered whenever it met hers—but her fascination with him hadn’t abated so much as grown bigger.
That was worrisome. The next time she fell for a guy, he needed to be a nice, stable guy who was more nerdy than athletic. More dad bod than American Ninja Warrior bod.
And someone who wasn’t the prettiest person in the room. Those guys got too much attention—whether they wanted it or not.
She took a deep breath and typed. Hi. I’m fine. Working. How about you?
Colt: Off right now. Just doing some housework.
Angie blinked. Housework? Then again, why not? She’d just never pictured him pushing a vacuum or cleaning toilets. Can I pay you to clean mine? Haha!
Not that she had the money to pay anyone to clean for her, but he didn’t know that. Plus it was a joke.
Colt: Maybe. How much are you offering?
Angie chuckled. I somehow don’t think you mean that.
Colt: Oh, I don’t know. If it gets me an invitation to your house, I might just clean it for free.
Her skin glowed even while she told herself not to fall for the charm. I’m going to have to think seriously about your offer.
Way to go, flirting with him. Angie rolled her eyes.
Colt: I cook too, you know.
Angie: Wow, really? Because I don’t. I can burn water.
Colt: Invite me over and I’ll cook. I’ll buy all the groceries and everything. You can invite Jace and Maddy too, if it makes you more comfortable.
Angie nibbled her lip. Oh boy. I’ll think about it. It’s a very tempting offer.
And it was, because he was gorgeous and it’d been a long time since she’d gone out with anyone. Plus there were all those fireworks that constantly exploded inside her whenever he was around.
Colt: Let me know what you decide. Okay, gotta get back to work. The oven won’t clean itself.
Angie: Um, I think they do? Self-cleaning ovens, right? I know I’m not making that up.
Colt: Yeah, but I’d rather clean it myself. The self-clean feature takes 3 hours and it makes the house hot.
She was impressed he knew that. She certainly didn’t. Well, have fun.
Colt: Thanks for answering me today.
Angie: I promised I would.
Angie stared at her phone for a few moments, then turned her attention back to Martinelli’s spreadsheet. But she couldn’t stop thinking about Colt, and about how when she wasn’t overthinking it, talking to him made her feel kinda good. Maddy kept telling her she had to get back on the horse sometime.
Why not now?
She snatched her phone up. Before she could change her mind, she sent a text: How about dinner in a restaurant to start with?
“Oh hell, what have you done?” she moaned after she pressed send. No way to call it back now.
Angie turned her attention back to her work. The longer her text went with no answer, the more disappointed she became. Even when she told herself it was for the best. Clearly, Colt knew it too.
Five minutes later, her phone pinged with a text.
Colt: Sorry, just saw this. I was vacuuming. Sounds good. Tonight work for you?
And there it was, that shot of nerves cascading through her. She had so many reasons not to do this. But she wanted to see him. See if the excitement he roused in her was real or a fluke.
Angie: Yes.
They’d agreed to meet at a restaurant in Annapolis that wasn’t on the popular waterfront, but on a quieter side street where the tourists didn’t necessarily flock in huge numbers.
Colt arrived before Angie. He’d been shocked when she’d texted him back and mentioned dinner. He’d thought he’d pushed a little too far when he’d teased her about cooking at her house. He’d expected her to ghost him the next time he texted, but he’d been in for a shock when he’d switched off the vacuum and had a message from her.
Not at all what he’d expected.
That she’d agreed to tonight was even more surprising. But she wasn’t here yet so he didn’t need to get ahead of himself. She could still ghost him. He told himself that if she didn’t show up, he was done trying to win her trust and attention. They’d see each other at Jace and Maddy’s, and she’d have to learn to deal with his presence. End of story.
But she didn’t ghost him. She walked into the restaurant five minutes past when she’d said she would, and she apologized for being late.
“A client called as I was parking. I had to take it.”
“It’s not a problem,” he told her, letting his gaze slide over her for a brief moment before meeting her eyes again. She was dressed in a dark wine-colored wrap dress that showed all her curves, and she wore high-heeled suede boots that disappeared beneath the hemline. Which meant they probably went to her thigh.
Colt’s mouth watered for a second. Jesus.
“You thought I wasn’t coming,” she said.
He gave a brief shake of his head. “Not yet I didn’t. You still had twenty-five minutes before I thought that.”
“Surprise,” she said with a smile.
He put his hand against her back and ushered her toward
