Stacking the Deck (A Betting on Romance Novel Book 2)(34)

“I tore it out yesterday. You said you wanted to get started Monday, and I only have a couple of weeks before I’ve got to get back myself.”

“You tore it out?”

“And I’ve got the muscle aches to prove it. It felt good to get rid of it though. It never suited the house.”

Liz’s tongue flicked over her bottom lip, and Carter’s focus zeroed in on that one glistening spot. Her mouth looked soft, wide and full. He thought about how it’d feel under his.

“I could give you a back rub,” he offered.

“A back rub?” She gave a short, nervous laugh. “That sounds like some bad pickup line from college.”

She fiddled with the sponge, her breasts rising and falling beneath the thin fabric of her shirt. Carter wasn’t entirely sure she was wearing a bra. The uncertainty spiked his pulse a notch. To hell with Grams and her admonitions. Maybe he just enjoyed women. Did everything in life have to be serious?

“That would presume I was trying to pick you up.” He smiled.

“Of course you weren’t.” She turned abruptly to her bucket, dipping the sponge again. “Idiot,” she mumbled.

“Did you just call me an idiot?”

“No!” She whirled, water splattering the floor. “No. I was... talking to myself.” Pink tinged her cheeks.

“You do that often?” He stepped over and took the sponge from her fingers, set it on the stove. He was so close now he could see the light freckles on the bridge of her nose. Somehow they were both endearing and strangely erotic. Liz was always girl next door appealing, but now... ten years later... she was a knock-out. Why had he never asked her out?

Probably because the girl he remembered hadn’t glanced up from her college applications long enough to notice he’d had more interest in her than just passing trig.

“Not usually. No,” she said.

“I get the feeling you don’t think I’d be serious about giving you a pickup line.”

“You wouldn’t.” He watched her swallow. “Would you?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I’m leaving in two weeks,” she said, her eyes staring at his mouth.

“So, that just means I’d need to make it a really good pickup line. So we don’t waste time. Right?”

Her eyes met his, wide, luminous, the soft hazel turning a shade of something that reminded him of skittish woodland creatures. “You’re teasing me,” she whispered, a mixture of wariness and anticipation warring on her features.

His tongue darted out to stroke over his lips. Was he? “Only if you want me to be,” he replied, suddenly feeling quite serious. The blood thrummed in his veins, and if she stared at his lips like that one more second, he’d be forced to show her exactly how they tasted.

Her eyes darted away and she grabbed the sponge, sliding out from between him and the stove. “Well, as you can see, I’ve got work to do, and I’m sure you do, too, so I won’t keep you.” She was wringing the sponge out at the sink to within an inch of its life. “Thanks for stopping by. See you tomorrow? We still on for dinner?”

Carter nodded. If he hadn’t made that promise to Grams, he would have pressed the advantage. It was obvious he had an effect on Liz Beacon, and the fact that she’d only grown into a body to match the appeal of her intellect did nothing to curb his desire for her.

But he couldn’t treat Liz like other woman. For one thing, Liz had always treated him differently. She treated him as if he were smart. She’d taught him how to play chess and graph a parabola, and if he’d noticed somewhere along the line that she was pretty in a quiet sort of way, he hadn’t wanted to mess up a good thing.

So why was he tempted to do so now?

“Just for the record, I’m told I give great back rubs. Should you ever need one,” he said.

He had to tamp down the streak of lust that shot to his midsection as her gaze found his lips across the room.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she murmured.




THE FOLLOWING EVENING, Carter stood at Liz’s door, his hands behind his back as he elbowed the doorbell.

“I hope you like pot roast,” Liz said as she swung the door wide.

Carter smiled. Her face was lightly flushed, and a few strands of hair had escaped her ponytail, curling sweetly at her temples.

“Love it. Here.” He thrust his right hand forward. “I brought some wine for dinner. And, something for you.” He held out his left hand.

“Oh, you didn’t need—swiss cake rolls?” she laughed, taking the box from his outstretched hand.

“I think we pretty well decimated your supply the other night. I know not to get between a woman and her chocolate fix.”

“A wise man.” Her smile was cautious. “By the way, Bailey called. She had to cancel. Something’s up with her father, so it’s just us.”

“Just us, eh?” He liked Bailey well enough, but he couldn’t say he was upset by the news.

Liz licked her lips again and stepped back. “You should probably come in. Before Eddie makes a break for it.”

“Oh. Right. How is he?”

“He mostly hides in the bedroom unless he’s in the mood to escape.”

“He’s probably still getting used to being here.”