All I Want for Halloween
Page 32
“I swear. You have nothing to worry about from me. I’ll be the perfect gentleman. I have sisters, you know. I’ll treat you the way I’d expect any man to treat them.”
She wanted to ask more about his family, but then he’d expect the same from her. “Okay, on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“We keep things light between us. Talk about work, what we like or don’t like. No deep, meaningful stuff. No family talk, no relationship drama. I can’t handle that in my life right now. I have too much riding on my promotion and need to focus on work.”
“Bueno. It’s a deal.” He held out a hand to shake, and she tentatively gave him hers.
But Lou didn’t shake. He watched her as he brought her hand to his lips and gave her the gentlest kiss.
She couldn’t hide a tremble of need, unexpected and strong.
His eyes seemed to darken. Or was that her imagination? He released her and said something about the boss he’d just left, a giant of a man with a crush on a certain waitress he knew. Changing the subject and easing the tension between them, Lou became the perfect lunch partner.
He ordered them both another coffee, and before Joey knew it, an entire hour had passed.
“Oh no. I have to get back.” She scrambled to her feet.
Lou grabbed his coat and the tray of trash and dumped it before she could offer to.
“Thanks for coffee, Lou.” She felt shy again all of a sudden, and it bothered her. Why now, like this, with him? She’d been this way with Felix way back when, and look at where that had gotten her. Talk about life changes.
“Anytime, Joey. I mean that.” He took her by the elbow and escorted her outside. Then he waited while she opened the door of her car. She got in, started the car, and lowered the window.
He crouched by the side of the car. “Man, you weren’t kidding. This is a piece of crap.”
Jolted into a laugh, she stared at him, unnerved to see him so focused on her mouth. He raised his glance and smiled into her eyes. Maybe he was just an intense kind of guy.
“It runs,” she said of the car.
“Yeah, that’s always a good thing.” Then he brightened. “And hey, just think, now that we’re becoming good friends, if you ever have a problem with your car, you can bring it to me and I’ll fix it, no charge.”
“Lou—”
“But then you have to promise to throw together more flowers for me at the last minute. I have a lot of sisters, and at least two of them at any time are dating idiots.” He sighed. “God save me from the Cortez women.”
She chuckled. “Oh please. More like God save the world from the Cortez men.”
He laughed. “I’ll text you about dinner. Thanks for coffee, princesa.” He moved away to his car, and she backed out of the lot, determined to concentrate on work when she returned.
Not on the sexy man starting to star in all of her dreams. Or would that be sex-filled nightmares? Only time would tell.
For more Marie Harte check out
the Body Shop Bad Boys series
Collision Course
On sale January 2018
About the Author
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte is a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit marieharte.com and fall in love.
Also by Marie Harte
The McCauley Brothers
The Troublemaker Next Door
How to Handle a Heartbreaker
Ruining Mr. Perfect
What to Do with a Bad Boy
Body Shop Bad Boys
Test Drive
Roadside Assistance
Zero to Sixty
Collision Course
The Donnigans
A Sure Thing
Just the Thing
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