he been thinking? But then, that was the whole problem—he hadn't been thinking, he'd been reacting. To her. To everything about her. Damn his impulses.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he went on. "That is, if you still want to work with me on this project. Because if you don't, I'll figure out some other way, some reason I can't do it."
Penny shook her head. "No, I … actually think we work well together … when we're not kissing."
She looked nervous, but he reassured her. "So do I." It was the truth. "Good night," he said a little more brusquely than he'd intended as he headed out the door and proceeded down the front walk toward the curb, where he'd parked.
Pausing on the sidewalk, he looked over his shoulder to find Penny peering at him from inside the screen door. "One last thing," he said, feeling bolder than he had a right to.
"What's that?"
"Are you gonna marry him?" It was presumptuous as hell, but he had to know.
Behind the screen, she hesitated, and Ryan felt his heart balancing precariously on her answer.
"No," she finally admitted in little more than a whisper. "Of course not. How could I now?"
A flood of relief washed through him. "Good," he said. Then he turned to walk on, taking a full two steps before he stopped and looked back again. "But that still doesn't change things between us. Because Martin's still my boss and you're still too wild for me." He'd just wanted to make sure they both knew where they stood.
"Hey, you're the one who keeps kissing me. All you have to do is stop."
"Right." He nodded. "And I will."
Still, even as he slid behind the wheel of his car, started the engine and drove down the street, even as he reminded himself what was smart and right and rational, Ryan couldn't help feeling inexplicably happy that Penny was no longer tied to another man.
----
4
« ^ »
T he green awnings beyond the plate-glass windows shaded the sidewalk from the scorching midday sun. The lunch rush had ended not long ago and Penny heard the sounds of dishes being washed in the pub's kitchen.
She wiped down the bar, then glanced at the clock. Ryan was probably upstairs finishing his sandwich right now, probably still working in Martin's corner office, too. Thankfully, Grace had been at her desk when Penny had dropped the lunches off today, which had kept her from having to hang around the place. But whether or not she bumped into Ryan at Schuster Systems didn't really matter since he would be showing up at her house again in about an hour. She drew in a deep breath, then let it slowly back out, wishing she didn't feel so twitchy inside just thinking about him and all that had happened.
She kept reliving the moment when he'd brushed that impossibly soft kiss across her lips. It had melted through her like the thrilling purity of a first kiss, like first love, as if she were sixteen and untouched and waiting for that first magical taste of romance. Every time she thought about it, she felt his mouth grazing hers again. But it would probably be wise to stop thinking about it because— Oh, poor Martin!
She hadn't known what to do about Martin until the words had left her yesterday. She wouldn't marry him. Couldn't marry him. Never even should have considered marrying him. She guessed being proposed to by a successful businessman, who was truly a nice person on top of it, had been flattering, and it had at least seemed worthy of some thought. But now any delusions of compatibility she'd been suffering had come to an end and she knew—
The rattle of a cup cut into her thoughts. "Miss?"
She looked up to find their last remaining lunch customer, a middle-aged businessman with messy hair and a wrinkled suit, waving his coffee cup at her from the end of the bar.
"Yes?"
"I said, can I get a refill down here?" His dark eyebrows knit and his expression reminded Penny of an angry bear.
She was stunned she'd let his cup go empty and had apparently been ignoring him, too. She always put customers first. Well,
"I'll see you tomorrow," he went on. "That is, if you still want to work with me on this project. Because if you don't, I'll figure out some other way, some reason I can't do it."
Penny shook her head. "No, I … actually think we work well together … when we're not kissing."
She looked nervous, but he reassured her. "So do I." It was the truth. "Good night," he said a little more brusquely than he'd intended as he headed out the door and proceeded down the front walk toward the curb, where he'd parked.
Pausing on the sidewalk, he looked over his shoulder to find Penny peering at him from inside the screen door. "One last thing," he said, feeling bolder than he had a right to.
"What's that?"
"Are you gonna marry him?" It was presumptuous as hell, but he had to know.
Behind the screen, she hesitated, and Ryan felt his heart balancing precariously on her answer.
"No," she finally admitted in little more than a whisper. "Of course not. How could I now?"
A flood of relief washed through him. "Good," he said. Then he turned to walk on, taking a full two steps before he stopped and looked back again. "But that still doesn't change things between us. Because Martin's still my boss and you're still too wild for me." He'd just wanted to make sure they both knew where they stood.
"Hey, you're the one who keeps kissing me. All you have to do is stop."
"Right." He nodded. "And I will."
Still, even as he slid behind the wheel of his car, started the engine and drove down the street, even as he reminded himself what was smart and right and rational, Ryan couldn't help feeling inexplicably happy that Penny was no longer tied to another man.
----
4
« ^ »
T he green awnings beyond the plate-glass windows shaded the sidewalk from the scorching midday sun. The lunch rush had ended not long ago and Penny heard the sounds of dishes being washed in the pub's kitchen.
She wiped down the bar, then glanced at the clock. Ryan was probably upstairs finishing his sandwich right now, probably still working in Martin's corner office, too. Thankfully, Grace had been at her desk when Penny had dropped the lunches off today, which had kept her from having to hang around the place. But whether or not she bumped into Ryan at Schuster Systems didn't really matter since he would be showing up at her house again in about an hour. She drew in a deep breath, then let it slowly back out, wishing she didn't feel so twitchy inside just thinking about him and all that had happened.
She kept reliving the moment when he'd brushed that impossibly soft kiss across her lips. It had melted through her like the thrilling purity of a first kiss, like first love, as if she were sixteen and untouched and waiting for that first magical taste of romance. Every time she thought about it, she felt his mouth grazing hers again. But it would probably be wise to stop thinking about it because— Oh, poor Martin!
She hadn't known what to do about Martin until the words had left her yesterday. She wouldn't marry him. Couldn't marry him. Never even should have considered marrying him. She guessed being proposed to by a successful businessman, who was truly a nice person on top of it, had been flattering, and it had at least seemed worthy of some thought. But now any delusions of compatibility she'd been suffering had come to an end and she knew—
The rattle of a cup cut into her thoughts. "Miss?"
She looked up to find their last remaining lunch customer, a middle-aged businessman with messy hair and a wrinkled suit, waving his coffee cup at her from the end of the bar.
"Yes?"
"I said, can I get a refill down here?" His dark eyebrows knit and his expression reminded Penny of an angry bear.
She was stunned she'd let his cup go empty and had apparently been ignoring him, too. She always put customers first. Well,
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