Brave. She’d come to Papillon to change her life, to be a new Lila Daley. The old Lila would never have brazenly kissed a man she barely knew. Of course, the old Lila also wouldn’t have called 911 and spent the majority of the evening in a corner being afraid of a dog who was now sleeping in her chair, but she was going with it.

His way-too-gorgeous-for-a-man’s lips curled up as she put her hands on his shoulders. The move might have been awkward, but that was where the discomfort ended. His hands found her hips and a flash of heat went through her.

“I’m glad you decided to give it a shot.”

Arrogant man. It didn’t turn her off, though, because he’d been honest with her moments before. It was his honesty that had done it. She’d been ready to ask him to leave again and mean it this time, but then he’d opened his mouth and said all kinds of things she’d never heard from a man before.

That he wanted her. That he wanted to try.

Maybe she’d heard the first part before, but it was somehow sweeter coming from him. She wasn’t fooling herself. This was still about sex and it would only last as long as she managed not to show off her unique brand of crazy. She didn’t lie to herself. She was stubborn and controlling and obnoxious at times. She came off snobby and overly intellectual.

But she might have a little time with him. She might find some companionship. And hey, they might become each other’s booty call. It didn’t have to be all or nothing. That was the beauty of the new Lila. She didn’t have to either marry a man or have nothing to do with him. They worked together. Not so closely that it would be weird for them to have a relationship, but she would often have to liaise with his department. They could be friends and a little bit more.

She could make this work. It was a bit disconcerting to realize how much she wanted this to work.

“Did I lose you? I don’t mind. I can see you’re thinking, and that’s a good thing, but I really would like to touch you. Will you let me touch you while you think about it?”

“You are touching me.” She could feel his hands on her, his strong chest brushing against her breasts. He was warm and she hadn’t realized how chilly it had been before she’d been near him.

His head was close to hers and he seemed to breathe her in. “No, you’re touching me. Let me show you what I mean.”