Her mouth dried. “Why?”
“Because it’s going to follow you. That problem is just going to keep right on treading on your heels, so you might as well turn and face it.”
She faced him and saw the wicked gleam in his eyes.
Her insides melted. He was the sexiest man she’d ever seen. “I tend to black the eye of problems that follow me.”
“That’s good. Confront it.” His gaze was locked on hers and she felt her heart rate increase.
“What if the problem refuses to go away?”
“Maybe it’s not a problem. Maybe the problem is that you’re scared.”
“What?” Eva looked baffled. “I have no idea what the two of you are talking about. Can we order before I die of starvation?”
Matt transferred his gaze from Frankie to Eva. “For a woman who never has sex, you have a healthy appetite.”
“Sex isn’t the only form of exercise on the planet, you know.”
Frankie wished everyone would stop talking about sex. Between that and the searing heat in Matt’s gaze, she was ready to combust.
Fortunately, Maria arrived at their table to take their order and the conversation moved on to more general things.
On the surface it was a normal Friday night, but under the surface there was a new tension. And there was Matt’s thigh, pressed against hers. Solid muscle.
He reached across and helped himself to bread. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled back, revealing strong forearms. His skin was bronzed from the sun and dusted by dark hairs.
She imagined those hands on her skin, slow and skilled. Patient.
She imagined those hands holding her face steady as he kissed her.
Oh God, she wanted him to kiss her so badly, which made no sense at all because she’d never even enjoyed kissing much. Her mind always wandered and she ended up thinking about plants or books.
“How’s Roxy getting on?” Paige reached for her drink. “Is the childcare working out?”
“Thanks to you. She’s coping well. They gave her a friendly rate, didn’t they?”
“We’re putting a lot of work their way,” Paige said. “They were happy to help. By the way, that dog-walking business you recommended, The Bark Rangers, is brilliant. I met the twins and they’re great, although I will never be able to tell them apart in a million years.”
“Glad it’s working out.” Matt was calm and relaxed. “I’ll let Dan know next time I see him.”
Frankie was relieved by the change of subject.
Somehow she stumbled through the rest of the meal but then Matt suggested gathering on the roof terrace for drinks and a movie.
She needed space, and he wasn’t giving her any. Every time she tried to inch away from him he was right there.
They finished their meal and the general agreement was that they’d go back to the roof terrace and watch a movie, but Frankie bowed out.
“I have work to do.” As Matt was the one who had given her the work, he couldn’t exactly argue with that. And he couldn’t exactly abandon Jake and the others. “You guys go ahead without me.”
That was her plan, but when they arrived back at the brownstone they shared, Paige and Eva didn’t follow Matt and Jake up to the roof terrace. Instead, they stood on either side of Frankie like bookends.
“It’s time we talked.” Eva took the keys out of Frankie’s hand and let herself into the apartment.
“I think I’m best left alone tonight.”
“I’m not leaving you alone. I’m not good with tension. It unsettles me and keeps me awake and I’m horrid when I’m tired.” Eva pushed open the door and toed off her shoes. She had an enviable ability to instantly make herself at home anywhere.