“I don’t know how you have the willpower. I want to bend over and lick the plate.”
The idea of him bending down to lick anything was not at all unpleasant.
She tried not to choke. Nothing sexy about spraying tea from your nostrils. “So, which flavor do you like more? Raspberry or strawberry?”
He polished off his piece and gently pushed the plate away. “That’s easy. Strawberry.”
“Why’s that?” Her curiosity piqued.
He cleared his throat. “Because that was the slice I got to enjoy here with you. In your home.”
“Oh,” Renee inhaled. “Oh.” It was all she could manage.
Blushing furiously, she darted her eyes around the kitchen, trying to find anywhere to focus other than her boss’s striking blue eyes and his crooked smile.
Don’t look at me that way. There’s nothing to see here. Just someone who enjoys baking, gardening, and romance novels. You would be bored with me and my quiet life in weeks—no, days—and then what? We go back to being boss and employee? How would that work?
“So! Seen any good movies lately?” Renee asked lamely.
A small smile on his face, Dr. Dan shook his head. “I tend to only rewatch the classics. Probably a sign that I’m getting old.”
“I have the same bad habit,” she admitted. “Tansy and I used to watch so many Nora Ephron movies together. I bet I could tell you every line of When Harry Met Sally.”
A sudden sparkle in his eyes, Dr. Dan leaned closer to Renee and murmured, “That first bite of pie? Well, I nearly reenacted Meg Ryan’s ‘I’ll have what she’s having’ scene.”
Renee burst into wonderful laughter. She shook her head. “I don’t even know what to say right now.”
She stared down at the kitchen table, images of Dr. Dan orgasming in her head. Her ears burned hot.
“Say I’m not the only one feeling something here.” His voice was gravelly, slightly hoarse.
Renee’s eyed widened, her heart pounding in her chest. Was this a dream? Had she somehow slid into an alternate universe? This couldn’t be real life. No, she was about to wake up in her sleigh bed with a book against her chest and a mug of cold chamomile on her nightstand.
“Renee?”
Oh god. This was not a dream.
“Um, no, you’re not the only one feeling something, but…” She trailed off. “Well…”
“We work together.”
“Right.” She nodded. “Right.”
“But that doesn’t mean we can’t get to know each other better. Spend some time together doing…things.”
“Like Scrabble?” Her frantic gaze landing on the forgotten game. Why was that on top of the kitchen cupboard anyway? She hadn’t played since last summer, before Tansy left for USC, and here she was the reigning queen of awkward banter.
Dr. Dan chuckled. “Scrabble?”
Renee stood, walking toward the board game and holding it out like a shield or a peace offering. “We should play.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t you major in English literature? You trying to hustle me?”