“Oh my God, you’re twelve,” she groused. “All I’m saying is that we can be friends…who maybe kiss sometimes.”
He was still gripping her wrist, and he brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “I’ve got a deal for you, Ms. Lindt.”
She cocked a brow. “A deal?”
“Yes.” He laced his fingers with hers. “I will allow you to buy this school bus for the program, and I promise I will throw everything I have into refurbishing and making it a great experience for the kids. We will also continue to practice this senseless kissing thing, and you can have rights to these talented lips.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “What’s the catch?”
“The kissing part is a guarantee, no fine print,” he said. “But I’m only doing the first one if you agree to be part of the project, too.”
She stilled. “What?”
“No writing a check and walking away,” he declared. “I know you’re busy and have obligations. We can work around that. But you told me that first night that you wanted a passion project. I know you don’t think you have a passion, but you should’ve seen your face when you told me about your idea for the bus. This project means something to you, something that roots pretty deeply, from what I can tell. So, it needs you as much as it needs me.”
“Wes, I can’t just… Work is crazy. I’m up for partner, and I’m helping with my dad’s campaign. I don’t know anything about kids or food or restaurants and—”
He pressed his fingers over her lips. “I’m not negotiating this part, lawyer girl. Don’t try to use your secret ninja attorney moves on me because they won’t work.” His hand slid to the back of her neck. “You need to do something that makes your eyes light up like that. I know because I need that, too. Plus, the kids liked you. They could use a strong, successful woman to look up to, one who isn’t afraid to do the hard, messy work to make a difference.”
All the breath sagged out of her. “Now who’s the lawyer? You’re laying kid guilt at my feet. Are you going to bring out sad-eyed puppies next?”
He smiled. “Kid guilt is the worst. But super effective. And if we need puppy eyes, we can stop by my brother’s clinic and visit your rescuer.”
She groaned and looked to the star-flecked sky overhead. How the hell could she commit to this? She was already stretched for time, and the partners and her father were watching her every move to determine if she was dedicated enough to become partner. She was not the girl who put aside work and responsibilities for a whim.
However, the thought of building something from scratch, of giving Wes’s kids a project that could help shape their future, that could give them an outlet, made her blood pump harder and something bright and sharp bloom inside her chest. Did she really want to be the type of person who wrote a check and left others to do the real work? That was her dad’s method. “One hour. I can probably find one hour in the afternoons that I’m not in court to help out.”
His lips curved into a satisfied smile, and he pulled her fully against him, looping his arms around her waist. “I’ll take it. One hour of work. Then maybe a little bit of this once the kids go home.”
He bent his head and his lips captured hers again, soft and sweet, but enough to get her heart picking up speed and her mind emptying of all other worries.
Her cases. Her battle for partner. Her father’s campaign. She’d figure out. She had to. Because right now, there was no way she was giving this up.
This feeling of exhilaration. Of being wanted. Of enjoying someone without any of the heavy stuff attached to it.
Good sexy fun. This was exactly what she needed.
No, Wes Garrett was exactly what she needed.
That was the scariest part of all.
chapter
THIRTEEN
To: RLindt
From: ChefG
Dear Ms. Lindt,
It has come to my attention that after you gifted me with a very expensive bribe for my kissing skills and made promises to partake of those services on the regular, I have not heard from you in a few days. I am sending a formal request to share space with you in the near future. I can offer food temptations including pretentiously expensive cheese and cured meats. Dessert will be provided for good behavior.
Yours truly,
Mr. Wesley Garrett, chef and cheese aficionado
Rebecca had never resented her job. Work fueled her. She liked being busy, capable, and successful. She liked winning. But when she saw Wes’s email come through on Tuesday morning, she had a moment where she wished she could toss her jam-packed day planner in a bonfire.