when we return on Sunday,â he mused, not looking at her. âToo bad we didnât bring Yoda with us. He might have gotten a chance to show off his fancy duds on the beach.â
Faithâs gaze narrowed in his direction, not that he noticed as he was watching traffic and not her. âQuit making fun of my dog.â
âIf you put clothes on your dog, you have to expect him to be made fun of. By real men and real dogs.â
âI expect no such thing and Yoda is a real dog. The best dog. The sweaters are to keep him warm.â
âAnd here I thought thatâs what fur was for.â He shot a horrified look her way. âYou didnât shave him, did you?â
âNo.â Taking an exasperated breath, she shook her head, pursed her lips at him. âI know what youâre doing, and it isnât going to work.â
He had the audacity to glance at her, all innocence and good looks. âWhat isnât going to work?â
As if he didnât know exactly what he was doing.
âWhat youâre doing.â
âWhich is?â
âTrying to get me flustered about the dog so that I will forget to make my case regarding this not being a working weekend.â She fixed him with a determined glare. âThis is a working weekend, Vale.â
Changing lanes on the parkway, he passed a slower car. âWhatâs wrong with us just having some fun?â
Was he kidding? âThe only reason Iâm here is because this is a working weekend.â
âThatâs not true. I asked you to accompany me this weekend because my mother was determined to paradeevery single female at the wedding in front of me in the hope Iâll not be able to resist making a walk down a long aisle to a short-noosed rope.â He pulled off the parkway, zipped through the EZ Pass lane at the toll booth, and headed toward downtown Cape May. âWith you by my side, sheâll leave me alone. I can spend time with my family without having to call out the National Guard.â
The National Guard? Did he expect such a rush of female would-be suitors? Casting another quick look at him, she decided that, yes, he probably did and rightly so. Forget his money, power and prestige, Dr. Vale Wakefield was still the finest catch in New York.
For the weekend she was to defend his bachelorhood? Where was the 1-800 hotline to the National Guard? Sheâd be the one needing reinforcements.
âShe wonât buy that Iâm anything more than a colleague.â
Vale shot her a quick look. âWhy wouldnât she?â
Should she list the reasons? Write him a thesis perhaps? âIâm not your type.â
âObviously, you are.â And obviously he found her comment amusing since he chuckled.
âWhatâs that supposed to mean? You like tall, willowy women with IQs lower than their bust sizes,â she reminded him.
âI kissed you,â he parried.
As if those three little words explained everything.
She bit her lower lip. âWhy did you?â
âI wanted to.â
Heâd wanted to. Pleasure bubbled inside her like just uncorked champagne, overflowing with rich, foamy giddiness, intoxicating her senses.
She was drugged. Drugged by the insanity being around a man as potent as Vale caused. She didnâtwant this, didnât want to feel this way. Not about him or any man.
âWhat about what I wanted?â
âAre you saying you didnât want me to kiss you? Because I donât believe you.â His expression said, Yeah, right. Tell me another one.
âI stopped you,â she reminded him, chin high.
âNot until after a good bit of tongue thrusting and spit swapping had taken place. Face it, Faith, you wanted me to kiss you as much as I wanted to kiss you.â
âEww.â Ignoring his second sentence, she wrinkled her nose at his coarse words. âDonât be gross, Vale.â
âI was making a
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