Molly said with a little wave.
“You, too.” Good; my voice sounded completely normal.
Corban paused in the doorway. “Are you hungry? You can come with us if you want.”
I didn’t miss the flash of anger that crossed Paisley’s face. A part of me—the part where jealousy burned hottest—wanted to go so I could wedge myself between Corban and Paisley. So I could ruin whatever plans she had of trying to get close to him.
But I had work to do. I didn’t have time for those kinds of games. Corban was a grown man. He could do what he wanted.
“Thank you, but they’re expecting me in the lab soon.”
“Maybe another time,” Molly said.
I squared my shoulders and adjusted my glasses. “I’d like that.”
Corban met my eyes with a crooked smile.
That look sent a buzzing warmth through my veins, and that very odd and so-unlike-me flare of jealousy was back.
“Corban, before you go, I meant to ask if you’d like to have dinner. With me. At my place. I’ll cook.”
His eyebrows lifted. My offer surprised him.
It surprised me too. What was I doing?
“We still have a lot of work to do on the motion capture study,” I added quickly.
“Sure, yeah. That sounds good.” Meeting my eyes again, he shoved his hands in his pockets. “We have a lot of data to cover.”
There was something so disarmingly sexy about the way he could be both assertive and almost shy. The heat in his gaze was unmistakable, but the way he put his hands in his pockets was adorably sheepish. The combination made me want to kiss him, right here.
But I couldn’t do that.
“Great. We can finalize details later. Your sister’s hungry, so you should probably go.”
“Right.” He looked back and forth between me and Molly, as if he’d forgotten what was going on around him. “Yeah, lunch. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay.”
My gaze flicked to Paisley. The smugness in her face was gone, replaced by irritation.
Not a threat? We’d see.
They left and I let out a long breath. What had I done? Inviting Corban over for dinner was a lot like a date.
Did I want it to be a date?
I didn’t know anymore.
He’d started as my nemesis. And in a moment of weakness—a hot, lust-filled moment of weakness—I’d slept with him. A man I hadn’t even liked. Now? Things had changed between us. I had to acknowledge that. We weren’t enemies anymore.
We’d become friends in addition to being coworkers. And coworkers who were also friends could certainly have dinner together, particularly if it gave them a chance to analyze important study data.
There was nothing more to it than that. I knew what I needed in my life, and it wasn’t dating. I’d already made that decision.
I firmly pushed my feelings aside and went upstairs to the lab, focusing instead on a dinner menu.
26
Corban
“Sex is always about emotions. Good sex is about free emotions; bad sex is about blocked emotions.” Deepak Chopra
Hazel answered her door wearing an apron with little cookies on it. Her hair was up, and she had a spot of flour on her nose.
She couldn’t have been any cuter.
“Hello.” She adjusted her glasses. “I’m running a little behind.”
“That’s okay.”
Stepping back, she pushed the door open wider. “Come in.”
“Thanks.”
I stuffed my hands in my pockets to keep myself from grabbing her and kissing the fuck out of her. I wasn’t quite sure if that was why she’d invited me over. Obviously, I hoped so. But she might have actually meant it when she said she wanted to work on the motion capture study.
Plus, if she was cooking—and something in her kitchen smelled amazing—I knew it would upset her if she burned it. Even if it was because I’d ripped her clothes off and buried my face between her legs.
So I held back—squashing the urge to pull her against me and taste those sweet lips—and followed her inside.
Her apartment was exactly like I’d pictured. She had a couch and an armchair with a blanket draped over it. A round table with four chairs next to the kitchen. Two bookshelves, and I could decipher her organization system at a glance. Her books were neatly sorted by category, then alphabetically by author. A short hallway had three doors—bedroom, bathroom, and maybe a closet.
The colors—mostly earth tones—all matched, and every inch looked tidy. Not just clean, but precise, like she’d put everything exactly where she wanted it.
All so very Hazel.
“You can have a seat.” She gestured to the couch. “I just need to finish in here.”
“Need any