Conflict of Interest - By Allyson Lindt Page 0,4
she almost swam in the coat, the bottom hanging halfway down her thighs. An image flashed through his mind of her wearing nothing but that jacket, standing in his bedroom doorway—
A sharp bolt lit up the sky, accompanied by the concussive boom of thunder. She jumped, eliminating a few more inches between them, and laughed nervously, hand flying to her chest. “Holy crap.”
His heart was hammering too, but not from the sudden noise. She stood near enough that her warmth drifted toward his bare arms. Her gaze met his, and his breath caught. Such a captivating face.
A drop of rain landed on her cheek, trailing down the smooth skin. He rested a hand on the back of her neck, thumb brushing away the water. His pulse raced even faster when she tilted her head into the gesture.
Another drop landed on her nose, her forehead, her chin. What would she do if he kissed them away?
The sky opened up, buckets pouring down, plastering his shirt to him in seconds.
She pulled his jacket tighter. “I think I’ll take that ride after all.”
He didn’t argue, yanking open the passenger door and making sure she was inside before sprinting to the driver’s side.
Chapter 2
Kenzie twisted in the leather seat to face him, sinking into the oversized jacket draping her shoulders and wiping the rain from her face. The faint scent of his cologne swam through her thoughts. She studied him, soaking wet, shirt accentuating every line of definition on his chest.
He laughed and raked his fingers through his brown spikes, pushing the dripping strands off his forehead. “So you’d rather take your chances in the love van than the rain? At least now I know your limits. You’re not worried I might be bad news?”
“I know you’re bad news.” The way he didn’t filter his thoughts, but was still gentle and polite. The hint of mischief always lurking in his smile and promising something unknown. It was making her giddy, and nervous, and tingly all over.
She worked her fingers into the elastic holding her hair back and yanked it free, letting the loose strands fall around her shoulders. The ponytail had kept it from getting soaked, and it was nice to have the almost-dry warmth against her skin. She’d rather it was his hand again, but the moment seemed to be gone.
How had she ended up in this man’s car in the pouring rain, toeing the line of indecent conversation and fantasizing about stripping off his wet clothes? “The barista knows me. She saw us leave together.”
“So they’ll come after you when they find my body dead and mangled in a gutter?” His teasing smirk never faded.
She batted her eyelashes. “Yes. And the police will track me down, bringing my long string of kidnapping devastatingly sexy men to an end.”
“Sexy?” He leaned closer, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Crap, she hadn’t meant to say that. No, wait, this was perfect. She wasn’t being frigid anymore. She could do flirting. Especially when he made it so easy. Her voice was husky when she replied. “Definitely sexy.”
“And you’re going to devastate me?” His fingers lingered on her ear, tracing light lines, eyes searching hers. She inhaled sharply when he trailed down to her earlobe and then brushed the hollow behind it where her neck met her jaw.
Her heart hammered against her ribcage, and her mind argued with itself—half insisting this was grossly inappropriate and the other half saying she was thinking too much. He was a random stranger, not a client or an associate. Just a guy whose rough palm against her neck was driving her thoughts wild. “I wouldn’t mind trying.”
Wind howled against the vehicle, rain slamming into it from all sides and drowning out the rest of the world. She could get lost in those eyes.
“Don’t you need to get home?” He didn’t pull away, and his skin was hot against hers.
The same argument she’d had with herself when Riley called echoed in her thoughts, but this time she was leaning toward continuing to swap one-liners with the sexy stranger instead of trudging back to her condo.
She shifted her weight in the seat and leaned into his hand, her voice almost lost in the storm outside. “Right. I should do that.”
The corner of his mouth twitched, fingertips gliding along the back of her neck. “You’re not convincing me.”
She exhaled at the light touch, currents of anticipation flowing through her. “I haven’t convinced myself.”
“Maybe I can help tip the scales in my favor.”