He closed his eyes for a second. “Come on, Glo. Don’t chicken out on me now. You have no idea what it took to get me here to you right now. The least you can do is listen to me before you decide to blow me off.”

“Blow you off? Who blew who off?” she demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Aldo blinked then grinned.

“And don’t even think about making a blow job joke,” she said, poking him in his chest with her finger.

Aldo captured her hand, engulfing it in his. Everything about him was so big, solid.

“I’m not making blow job jokes,” he promised.

“Then what are you smiling at?” She pulled her hand back and was marginally disappointed when he let her have it.

“You’re yelling at me,” he said. “You’re not apologizing.”

“What do I have to apologize for?” she gasped, incensed.

Aldo winced. “I’m doing a really bad job of complimenting you.”

“You’re damn right you are,” Gloria snorted. “Say something nice about my hair or my shoes or my eyes. Don’t ask me why I’m not apologizing to you.”

He stepped in on her while she was too incensed to notice the danger of a full-court press from Aldo Moretta. He slid his hand into her hair behind her ear, and her body went on sexy time alert. Holy hell. They were standing in the middle of the festival she’d organized, and she felt like they were alone in the summer night.

“Your hair is so soft, I spent hours every day while I was gone wondering what it would feel like to bury my hands and face in it.”

“Oh,” Gloria choked out.

“Your shoes are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve always had a thing for white tennis shoes.”

Goose bumps, a bumper crop of them, had the hair on her arms standing straight up.

“And your eyes. Brown and gold.” She could feel his breath on her face and realized her own had stopped. “I’ve never seen eyes like yours. They pull me in like a riptide. I could drown in them if you let me.”

Could a woman pass out from compliments? Gloria had a feeling she was about to find out.

“Thank you.” Through sheer force of will, Gloria managed to choke the words out.

“I’m just getting started, Glo. But first, I owe you. Can we talk?”

If he led her off into the dark, there were no guarantees that she’d keep her shorts on. In fact, signs were definitely leaning toward her ripping them off and twirling them over her head. And she wasn’t the sort of woman to get naked at public events. Especially not ones that she’d organized.