Page 20 of New Rules
“You’re still here,” she said, seemingly surprised.“I thought you’d left.”
“I was waiting for you. Plus, you never actually kicked me out, soI consider that a win.”
She stared straight at me, but I could see the mischief in her eyes. “How’s the saying go…? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”
She tilted her head to the side and batted her eyelashes at me, the gesture exaggerated and teasing.
Internally, I laughed at her comment, but I maintained my usual unflappable, composed exterior. “I’m not your enemy, Tammy,” I told her in a soft voice.
She shrugged. “Tomayto, tomahto.”
She briefly turned back to the bar and waved. “Night, Sam.”
He returned the sentiment, and we started to walk toward the door.
“I’ll walk you to your car and follow you home,” I said, putting on hand at the small of her back.
“You don’t need to,” she said in a low voice.
“I know, but I want to.”
As soon as we cleared the door, she stopped and turned to me on the sidewalk. “Fine, but you’re not getting an invite to come in, so don’t get any ideas.”
“I know. I just want to make sure you get home safely, that’s all.”
She said nothing in response but turned and continued to walk toward her car.
“I’d like to go over a few things with you that we can’t exactly discuss here,” I told her. “Do you want to meet for lunch tomorrow?”
“No dates, remember,” she replied quietly as she got to her car door. “You can just call me in the morning instead. I’m usually up by eight.”
I nodded in response, letting her think she’d won this round, but the wheels had already started turning in my head with what I hoped would be a great idea for tomorrow.
Game on, Tammy.
SEVEN
TAMMY
Apparently, the great sleep you get right after sex is only good for one day. Last night I’d gone back to tossing and turning and dreaming—more like nightmare-ing—about the break in.
The night before, I had slept like a baby, but that was because Mr. Ray Delacruz had rocked my world and put my ass to sleep.
God, the way he’d made my body feel was unreal. I had never been so turned on before I’d even had my clothes off. That man had barely touched me, and my body had been on fire.
I could still smell him on my sheets as I lay there snuggled up in my bed.
I took another deep inhale and closed my eyes, remembering his hands and mouth on my body. Even though it was just my imagination, I felt a shiver flow through me.
I knew it had been a while for me. The last time I’d had sex was nearly a year ago when I’d gone out with a fancy Air Force JAG lawyer named Carlton. The man was good-looking, but he didn’t know how to use the tools that God had given him. After that disappointment, I’d decided to take a hiatus from men.
Ray, on the other hand, not only had a handsome face and a kickin’ body, but he was a master at usinghispower tools.
I had rules, though. Rules I needed to follow. I did not sleep with coworkers or regular customers. Both could get awkward, so I just needed to steer clear.
Logically, I knew Ray technically wasn’t a coworker, but hewasbrought on to help investigate the burglary, which complicated things enough that I didn’t want to mess with it.
But it sucked.
