Page 22 of New Rules
“We need to talk. I have more questions about the pub and the break-in, and I couldn’t exactly ask you about them last night in front of everyone. So, I’m here to discuss at your house since you refused to meet me elsewhere for lunch or dinner.”
Oh, this man was smart. Too smart for his own good.
“Plus, I drank the last of your coffee yesterday morning, so I figured you could use some today.”
Smartandthoughtful. Dangerous combination.
“Come on in.” I opened the door wider and waved my hand in front of me to usher him in. “Let me go change really quickly, and we can take that out to my patio.”
“No need to change on my account. It’s a good look for you.” His husky voice and the way his gaze raked over me let me know it didn’t matter if I had a robe on or not—this man knew what was underneath and that was all he was thinking of.
“I’m changing,” I decreed as I closed the door. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Giving him no time to argue, I immediately moved to the stairs and quickly made my way to my room. I grabbed a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt. I needed that man to calm his naughty thoughts, so I put on the least sexy clothes I could grab.
He was standing in the same spot I’d left him in, but he smiled at me as I came into the room.
“I think I like this outfit even better,” he said to me, his eyes heated and full of hunger.
I pointed my finger at him and gave him my best stern look. “Lock those thoughts down, Delacruz, and get rid of them,” I warned.
“I’ll try but make no promises,” he said, walking toward me. “Why don’t you take these to your patio, and I’ll meet you there after I use the restroom really quickly.”
I nodded, appreciating the reprieve and the moment to let my brain calm down.
I grabbed the drink tray and the bag he’d brought and made my way outside to my favorite patio chair, placing everything on a table and retrieving one of the coffees.
A few minutes passed before Ray slid open the door and sat next to me with an amused look on his face.
“What’s so funny?”
“I think your cat either likes me a lot or wants to kill me,” he explained as he grabbed the other coffee and took a sip. “The minute I closed your bathroom door, he started scratching at the door like he was going to be murdered if I didn’t open up and let him in.”
I threw my head back and laughed. I’d gotten used to Jasper being a peeping Tom, but I’d forgotten to inform Ray. Jasper’s only exception to this rule was if he was sleeping comfortably, which he must have been doing when Ray was here that first night.
“Yeah, it’s best if you just let him in, because if you wait too long, he will start to hiss and cry,” I warned.
“Oh, yeah, we made it that far. I witnessed that and wish I could unhear that god-awful sound.”
I laughed even more at the picture of Ray’s face in that moment.
“So, tell me, Tammy. When your cat isn’t trying to be a voyeur and break into bathrooms, what does he do?”
I laughed at his correct analysis of Jasper.
“He mostly searches all over the house for things I’ve left out, catnaps them, and hides them under the sofa.”
Ray smiled. “So, he’s a kleptomaniac.”
“Yep. He’s partial to hair scrunchies, fuzzy socks, and things that jingle or make noise.”
“Interesting choices.”
“What about you, Ray? What do you do when you’re not pretending to be someone’s boyfriend and taking up space at their bar?”
He smiled, letting me know he was thoroughly enjoying our banter. “Mostly I’m just trying to enjoy retirement and not make the same mistakes in life twice.”
“Do I fall into that category?”
