by Brandy Ayers
How would they feel against the inside of my thighs?
Stop it!
More seconds than she would’ve liked passed before she ripped her hand away. “Dream on, Noble!” She whipped around and stalked down the street.
“And who says ‘give a hoot’?” He called after her. The laugh in his voice sent her blood boiling once more.
Cursing might be something she avoided, but she had no problem throwing him the finger as she stomped back to the truck. His bellowing laughter trailed behind her, making something delicious clench in the bottom of her belly. She tried with all her might to stop the extra push she gave her hips as she walked away, but her body had a mind of its own, strutting of its own accord.
Rufus sat on the floor of the truck, feet dangling out onto the pavement. Beneath his salt and pepper beard his mouth quirked up in a slight grin, and his chest shook with a barely contained laugh.
“What?” The word spat from her mouth.
“Nothing. I just can’t wait to see how this all plays out.” He rubbed his whiskers, letting the chuckle he’d been containing bubble out. “It’s gonna be fun to watch.”
“Shut up, grandpa. You have no idea what you’re talking about.” She loved the old guy, but she wasn’t afraid to stick her stiletto ‘where the sun don’t shine’ if he didn’t stop with the teasing.
“Oh, so I didn’t just watch him get under your skin like no one else?” One eyebrow slid up higher on his face. “And his eyes didn’t follow your ass the whole time you walked back here?” He twisted the wiry hairs of his beard between his fingers, looking very much like a mirthful gnome without the pointy hat, his dark skin turning slightly rosy as he tried to hold back his laughter.
Mira tucked her hair behind her ears, and she glanced down at her shoes, avoiding Rufus’s eyes. “Did he really watch me walk away?”
“Watch is an understatement. Gawk would be more accurate.”
Unwanted pleasure warmed her chest and limbs. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. He’s my competitor; obviously nothing could happen there.” Pushing down the disappointment at her own words, she tried to focus in on the task at hand: getting ready for the 5 p.m. newscast.
“Yup, God knows competing journalists never hookup. It’s not like we work in the most incestuous business on earth. Hell, my wife worked as an editor at a rival station when I met her thirty years ago. She couldn’t stand me at first, either.” His eyes twinkled with affection for the woman. They were quite possibly the most adorable couple on the planet. “You’ll see.”
No she wouldn’t. No way would she let herself get involved with a self-obsessed, big-egoed pretty boy like Noble. No matter how hot he was.