Rescuing the Bad Boy (Second Chance #2)(40)

“No, the dining room.” Sofie took a bucket of paint and stir sticks from the trunk. “Ruby wants to have the bar in there. The setting is more intimate.”

“Easier to talk the bigwigs out of their money in an intimate setting,” Faith said with a wink.

“And Faith is in charge of the bigwigs,” Sofie added.

“Pssh.” Charlie, hands full, shut the trunk with her elbow. “Faith will talk them out of their money, no problem. Open Arms is as good as funded for the next decade.”

“Aww, I knew I liked you.” Faith smiled. “What can I say? It’s a talent.”

“Ace.” Evan appeared in the driveway, arms out to his sides, frowning at his fiancée. “No lifting.” He took the extender rods from her.

Sofie felt her heart both buoy and sink as her eyes strayed to Charlie’s stomach. “Are you…?”

“What? No! I mean, I’m not. But it’s not like we don’t want… um…” She shook her head fervently.

Oops. Sofie hadn’t meant to put her friend on the spot.

Evan kissed Charlie’s forehead. “Ace. Relax.” He relieved Faith of her armload as well and tipped his head toward Sofie when Donovan came outside. “Your girl.”

Sofie froze, watching as Donovan approached their little group. They weren’t quite at the “your girl” stage. They weren’t ever at the “your girl” stage, come to think of it. Evan sent her a wink, one turquoise eye vanishing and reappearing as a smirk slid onto his face. Yeah, he did that on purpose.

Donovan slipped the paint bucket from her hand, his fingers brushing hers as he did. “Making me look bad, Scampi.”

Faith and Charlie hustled inside. Traitors.

“Thought you liked looking like a scoundrel,” Sofie called after Donovan as she followed him to the house.

He turned his head slightly and she caught sight of his lips twitching.

At the house, he walked inside. She was about to walk in behind him when he kicked the door closed. Slammed it right in her face! Shocked, she froze for a few seconds before reaching for the knob.

The door opened and Donovan, hands free, shrugged a shoulder. “Scoundrel.”

She didn’t want to smile. Didn’t want to have any moment of levity or understanding with this man. But a small smile found her face anyway. Which was dangerous because where he was concerned, a little went a long way.

Or all the way.

Folding her arms over her breasts, she remained on the porch. “I’m not coming in now.”

“Yes. You are.”

There was no doubting his tone. He was teasing her. Which was fun.

Dangerous.

That, too.

Holding her ground, she shook her head. “No, I’m not.”

“Scampi, get your ass in here.” Mock seriousness. His light eyes were sparking with mischief. She could see it. She could feel it.

An errant zing of excitement flitted through her veins, making her want to challenge him. She didn’t move, save to lean forward, purse her lips, and enunciate one word. “No.”

He dropped his hand from the knob, stalked toward her in two long-legged steps, and bent over. A second later she was in the air, then upside down, holding on to his pant loops for dear life. He hauled her inside, his shoulder squeezing a giggle from her diaphragm as he carried her into the foyer. When her feet hit the floor she was laughing and pushing a tangle of brown hair out of her face.

Then she found herself staring at his mouth, needing his mouth…

A protracted moment stretched between them and gradually, she became aware she had an audience. They had an audience. A very, very interested Charlie with a huge smile on her face. An aghast, open-mouthed Faith, and Evan, who wasn’t smiling or gaping, but one dark eyebrow had lifted in a show of mild interest.

Evan broke the silence.

“Ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Donovan answered.

Evan leaned over and kissed Charlie good-bye. “Be back.” Then to the rest of them he said, “Be good.” His gaze lingered on Sofie a bit longer than the others, she noticed.

“No promises,” Faith said.

“I’ll”—Sofie cleared her throat, realizing what she was about to say sounded very familiar and domestic—“lock up before I leave.”

“We’ll be back before then, Scampi. Dog!” He put his teeth to his lip and whistled, high and sharp.

The dog trotted into the foyer from the kitchen where she’d disappeared earlier.

“You’re taking Gertie?” she asked.

“Fumes.”

So he wasn’t only protective over her, but the dog as well. That made her feel better… sort of. The guys left the house. She shut the door behind them and turned to face her friends.

Faith propped her hands on her hips. “Any more attraction between the two of you, and Charlie and I would’ve had to man the fire hose.”

“For real,” Charlie said, betraying her right alongside Faith. “Ten-shunnn.”

Faith nodded her agreement. “Cut it with a knife.”

Sofie held her hands out in front of her, mainly because she was afraid her friends were making a point she really didn’t want to have made.

“Donovan and I are enduring one another for however long it takes to get this mansion ready for the charity dinner.” She clapped her hands. “Painting! That is what we are about to do right now.”