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  “Oh.” Her bright smile abruptly faded. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  After giving Cort one more long look, Lesa stepped from behind the counter and headed toward the empty office they used as a break room.

  Paige shook her head. “Sorry about that.”

  “I’m flattered she wanted to flirt with me.” He set a twelve-pack of longnecks on the counter. “How about you? Are you going to flirt with me?”

  “Nah. I don’t want to give you a big head.”

  “Too late. I’m already hopeless.”

  She laughed when he flashed a devilish grin. “I believe you.” She tapped the top of the beer. “Is this all for you?”

  “Yeah. This is the brand Quade gave me last night, so I thought I’d restock his supply.”

  “We do have the best beer prices in town.”

  “I know.” He leaned closer to her, as if to tell her a secret. “I checked.”

  She rang up his purchase on the cash register. “Everything okay at Quade’s house?”

  “It’s great. He has a beautiful home.”

  “Quade’s the best. He’s like a big brother. A protective big brother.”

  She accepted his credit card, ran it through the scanner, and returned it to him. Now would be the perfect time to invite him to her house tomorrow for lunch.

  Before she had the chance to do that, Cort gestured toward her pocket. “You’re about to lose your name tag.”

  Paige pulled it from her pocket, ran her thumb over her name. She wanted to tell someone about her promotion. Cort could be the first. She turned the tag so he could read it. “I got a promotion.”

  Cort’s eyes twinkled when he smiled. “Hey, that’s great! Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. It was a complete shock.”

  “Your employer must think you can handle the job or he wouldn’t have given it to you.” He propped his forearms on top of the twelve-pack. “Do you plan to celebrate tonight?”

  “I was thinking about tomorrow. How do you feel about an old-fashioned, tummy-filling meal of hamburgers, baked beans, and potato salad?”

  His smile turned into a lazy grin. “I feel very good about that.”

  “Come to my house tomorrow. I’ll fix it for lunch.”

  Cort shook his head. “You shouldn’t have to cook for your own celebration. Quade and Eve left early this morning for Austin. He told me to make myself at home. How about if you come over tonight and I’ll fix dinner for you?”

  She liked that idea a lot. “Okay.”

  “How do you feel about pork loin?”

  Her mouth watered at the sound of the word. “I love it.”

  “Great.” He straightened, picked up the beer. “What time do you get off?”

  “Five.”

  “How about six-thirty?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  She watched him walk out of the store and climb into what looked like Quade’s pickup. Paige frowned. Even though Quade believed he could find good in everyone, she’d thought it strange for him to invite a stranger to stay at his home. It seemed even stranger to her that he would lend his pickup to Cort.

  What’s going on? Who are you really, Cort Brennaman?

  Tonight would be a good chance for her to find out.

  You let your dick rule you, Brennaman. That should’ve stopped in high school.

  The mental admonishment that ran through Cort’s brain when he’d left Spencer’s didn’t stop him from going to the grocery store and picking out the perfect pork loin roast to prepare for Paige tonight. Quade had shown him the well-stocked freezers and told him to help himself, but Cort didn’t feel right taking any of Quade’s food. He’d decided to buy what he would use for tonight’s dinner.

  He had borrowed Quade’s nicest dishes, glassware, and linen napkins to set the table. A small vase of various flowers sat on the table between two tall white tapers in glass candle-holders. He’d light the candles and dim the overhead lights as soon as he heard the doorbell ring.

  A quick glance at his watch showed him Paige should be here any minute. He’d already opened the bottle of Chardonnay and put it back in the refrigerator to keep it cold. The pork roast, seasoned mashed potatoes, green beans, and yeast rolls sat in the oven to stay warm. A quick toss of the salad and he’d be ready to serve.

  He wanted to do this for Paige, to give her a little celebration for her promotion.

  Cort shook the small carafe of vinaigrette dressing he’d made and started to pour it on the salad when the doorbell rang. Setting it back on the island, he wiped his hands on a dish towel, jogged into the dining room to light the candles, and headed for the front door.

  To say Paige looked amazing would be a vast understatement. Her blond hair fell in a riot of curls to her breasts. She wore a blouse of various shades of green and brown all mixed together that made her hazel eyes appear huge. Several gold chains in different lengths and designs hung down over the blouse’s buttons. Brown slacks covered her legs, brown flats her feet.

  “Wow.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  Cort stood to the side so she could enter. “Come in.”

  She stepped over the threshold, giving him a close-up view of her ass as she walked past him. Round and tight with the right amount of fullness to fill a man’s hands.

  “Something smells wonderful.”

  Her comment snapped Cort out of his trance. He closed the front door, took her arm to lead her to the kitchen. “Roast pork loin with apple rosemary glaze. I hope you like it.”

  “If it tastes as good as it smells, I know I’ll like it.”

  Cort placed his hands on Paige’s waist and lifted her to one of the island’s tall chairs. She gripped his shoulders before he had the chance to step back. This close to her, he could see the streaks of green and brown and gold in her eyes. She wore green-and-brown eye shadow; dark brown mascara thickened her lashes. She didn’t wear lipstick, but some kind of gloss made her lips shiny. Kissable.

  He involuntarily squeezed her waist before he released it. “Do you like Chardonnay?” he asked as he rounded the island, putting it between them. He ordered his cock to behave instead of trying to jump out of his briefs.

  “Yes,” she said, her voice a bit husky.

  He glanced at her to see that flare of desire in her eyes again. Cort never took anything for granted when it came to a woman, but he strongly suspected his and Paige’s evening would end up in his bed if he didn’t stop it.

  Dinner first. Then he’d see where the evening went.

  “I set the wineglasses on the table. I’ll get them and pour a glass for you before I toss the salad.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll get the glasses.”

  Cort gave the salad a final toss as Paige came back into the kitchen. He’d already taken the wine from the refrigerator, so removed the loose cork and filled the glasses half full. He lifted his glass toward her. “To your new promotion.”

  “To my new promotion.” Paige clinked her goblet against his, took a small sip. “Ooh, that’s good.”

  “You can thank Quade. I pilfered this from his selection of wines. I’m not much of a wine expert, so didn’t know what to buy.”

  “I’m no expert either, but I know what I like.” She lifted her glass an inch. “I like this very much.”

  Cort grinned. “Then it’s a good thing there are two bottles chilled.”

  “You don’t really expect us to drink two bottles of wine, do you?”

  He liked the teasing light in her eyes as she took another sip from her glass. “I never try to predict the future. How about if I serve dinner and we’ll see where the evening goes?”

  “I say that sounds perfect.”

  5

  Cort prepared a plate for her, giving her about half the amount he put on his plate. She ate every bite and asked for seconds. His eyes shone with pleasure when she complimented him on how good everything tasted.

  She suspected other things wo
uld taste just as good. Perhaps even better.

  So many little things built up her desire over the evening. A brush of his hand, the way his gaze heated when it slipped to her breasts, the way he looked into her eyes when she spoke to him. She switched her attention from his eyes to his mouth and back to his eyes when he spoke. She imagined those well-shaped lips worshipping her body, those deep brown eyes staring into hers while he fucked her.

  A sharp clutch in her pussy reminded her how long it had been since she’d had a hard cock filling it.

  She had no doubt she and Cort would make love before the evening ended.

  Cort tilted the wine bottle toward her glass. “More?”

  “I’ll split it with you.”

  He emptied the bottle into both their glasses. “I made a light vanilla custard for dessert, whenever you’re ready for it.”

  “I’d like to wait a while, if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind at all. This is your celebration, so you make the rules.”

  She sipped her wine to hide her smile. If she made the rules tonight, they would definitely end up in Cort’s bed.

  “It’s cool enough this evening for a fire,” Cort said. “Would you like me to build one in the fireplace?”

  “That would be nice.”

  “Okay. I’ll clear off the table, then we’ll relax in the living room.”

  “I’ll help you.”

  Working side by side, Paige helped Cort clear the table, put away the rest of the food, and load the dishes into the dishwasher. She carried their wineglasses into the living room and relaxed on the couch while he knelt before the large rock fireplace. His jeans pulled across his ass. She had plans for that amazing ass later … plans that included her fingernails digging into it.

  For now, she would enjoy the wine and the fire and talking with Cort. If she could get him to talk about himself. Every time she’d steered the conversation in his direction so she could find out more about him, he’d steered it right back to her. She’d ended up telling him practically her entire life story, which would have bored him to sleep if he hadn’t been so polite.

  She’d never known a guy who didn’t like to talk about himself.

  Unless he had something to hide.

  She studied his back while he arranged the wood and kindling. Emma had to have thoroughly researched Cort before she hired him. Quade wouldn’t have let Cort drive his pickup, much less left him alone in the house, if he didn’t think Cort could be trusted. Quade had all those patient files in his office. He had them in a locked file cabinet, but a lock could be broken if someone wanted in the cabinet badly enough.

  The fire caught, throwing a pale yellow light into the room. Paige turned off the one burning lamp so it wouldn’t interfere with the fire’s glow.

  Cort stood, looked at the darkened lamp, then back at her. With the fire at his back, she couldn’t read his expression, so didn’t know if it pleased or angered him that she’d turned off the lamp.

  He joined her on the couch, picked up his wineglass from the end table. “This is nice.”

  Paige relaxed. His comment had to mean he liked that the only light in the room came from the fire. “Yes, it is.”

  After taking a sip of his wine, he stretched his arm along the back of the couch behind her. Paige drew up her knees and shifted so she faced him. “I told you all about myself over dinner. Now it’s your turn.”

  Cort stared into the fire while he took another sip of Chardonnay. “There’s not much to tell. I’m the oldest of three kids. My sister and I get along great, my brother and I tolerate each other most of the time.”

  When he didn’t say anything else, Paige prompted, “Are your parents still living?”

  “Divorced and remarried to other people. My dad and stepmom live in Abilene, my mom and stepdad in Phoenix.”

  Another lapse in the conversation. Deciding she’d have to prompt him for every morsel, Paige opened her mouth to ask the next question. She closed it again when she heard the patter of running feet on the hardwood floors. She quickly set down her wineglass before Daisy jumped on the couch beside her.

  “Hey, Daisy.” Paige buried her hands in the Lab’s scruff. She laughed as she tried to avoid the dog’s kisses. “Where’s your shadow?”

  As if on cue, Cocoa ran into the room and plopped her front paws on Cort’s lap. He winced and shifted one paw from his groin to his thigh. “Easy on the family jewels, Cocoa.”

  Paige snickered. “Maybe she’s curious.”

  “She can be curious with someone else.”

  Paige continued to pet Daisy, who now lay with her head on Paige’s lap. “Quade usually boards his girls when he goes to Austin.”

  “He told me that, but I told him I don’t mind taking care of them.” He scratched behind Cocoa’s ears, causing her eyes to close to half-mast. “You’d rather be here than in some dumb kennel, wouldn’t you, Cocoa?”

  The way he obviously liked the dog sent warmth all through Paige’s body. Any man who loved animals had to have a good heart.

  “I’m surprised they didn’t beg for scraps while we were eating.”

  “They’re well trained.” He gave Cocoa one more scratch behind each ear. “Daisy, Cocoa, go lie down.”

  Both dogs immediately moved to the rug in front of the fireplace and flopped down on it. It surprised Paige how quickly they’d done as Cort ordered. “They really are well trained.”

  He stretched his arm behind her again. Paige picked up her wineglass, took a sip. “You were telling me about your parents before the dogs came in.”

  Cort shrugged one shoulder. “Not much to tell. I think we three kids turned out okay despite coming from a broken family.”

  “How did you end up in Garland if your folks live in Abilene and Phoenix? And why did you come to Lanville?”

  Paige could sense the walls going up around Cort. “Paige, I don’t like to talk about myself. I’m not that interesting.”

  “You are to me. I want to get to know you better.”

  “You know me now. My past doesn’t matter.”

  Disappointment wrapped around her heart and squeezed. She understood someone wanting privacy. She understood someone having secrets he’d rather not share. But not telling her anything about his past didn’t make sense to Paige unless he really did have something to hide.

  She drained her wineglass, set it on the end table. “Dinner was wonderful, Cort. Thank you so much for inviting me over.”

  “That sounds like a good-bye.”

  “It is.”

  “But it’s early. We haven’t had dessert yet.”

  She looked directly into his eyes. “Cort, we met yesterday. I’m not asking you for any kind of long-term thing. I won’t be sad if a relationship develops between us, but right now I just want to spend time with you. I have no problem telling you anything about me. I proved that at dinner. You obviously don’t feel the same way.”

  Paige stood and headed for the kitchen to pick up her purse from the island. She reached for it when Cort grabbed her hand.

  “Wait.” Holding her hand, he turned her body toward him. “I don’t want you to go.”

  “Then talk to me, Cort.”

  Releasing her hand, he cradled her face in his palms. “How about if we communicate another way?”

  He slowly lowered his head, perhaps giving her time to say “no” or “stop.” That’s exactly what Paige should do. Curiosity about his kiss kept her silent.

  His lips felt soft and warm against hers. A hint of wine on his breath made his taste more intoxicating. She laid her hands on his waist, needing more contact with him than simply their mouths.

  He must have wanted the same as she for he soon wrapped his arms around her, pulled her against his body. Paige moaned at the sensation of his hardening cock against her mound. She slid her hands up his back to his shoulder blades. Rising on her tiptoes, she tilted her head and parted her lips for his tongue.

  Cort didn’t deepen the kiss,
but kept it gentle, tender. He ran his tongue across her lips, yet didn’t venture past the seam to the inside of her mouth. Paige finally took the lead, stroking her tongue over his lips before darting it into his mouth.

  That must have been the signal Cort needed. He inhaled sharply through his nose, a growl came from deep in his throat. He slid one arm beneath her ass and lifted her. Paige automatically wrapped her legs around his hips.

  “Tell me now if you don’t want me,” Cort whispered against her lips.

  Instead of speaking, Paige tunneled her hands into his hair and kissed him again. She didn’t stop kissing him, even when he started walking. He carried her down a hallway and through an open doorway. Darkness filled the room, but Paige didn’t need to see. She only needed to feel.

  He lowered them to the bed. Paige loosened her legs from around his hips, letting them fall apart to give him more room between them. She caught her breath when he pressed his hard cock against her clit.

  Cort lifted his head, stared into her eyes. “I want to kiss you everywhere.”

  Paige’s pussy clenched at the thought of Cort’s lips, his tongue, on every part of her body … especially between her thighs. “Only if I can return the favor.”

  Cort had already wanted Paige more than he could remember ever wanting a woman. Her words sent that desire through the roof. He imagined her pink tongue circling the crown of his dick, darting into the slit to gather the pre-cum. She’d dig her fingernails into his ass and hold him so he couldn’t get away from her.

  Not that he’d be stupid enough to try and get away.

  Cort kissed Paige once, twice, before he rose from the bed. After turning on the lamp, he whipped his T-shirt over his head and dropped it on the floor.

  Paige curled on her side, a pleased smile curling her lips. “Do you plan to take off everything?”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “Yes.”

  If she wanted to watch him strip, he’d let her. He looked into her eyes while he pulled off his boots and socks. He unfastened his belt and jeans, pushed them and his briefs down his legs, and stepped out of them. When he straightened, her gaze snapped to his hard cock. She moaned softly.