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glass, he spread the cool water across the back of his neck. Was she really making him sweat? By sheer proximity? If she could do this completely clothed, he’d be wrecked if she were naked. A vision of her naked danced before his eyes, making him grab the edge of the table. He had to get a grip on something.
    “Do you like spicy?” Hannah asked from behind her menu.
    She certainly wasn’t going to let up. “The hotter the better.”
    The man got hotter every time she saw him. Before he’d always been wearing work clothes. She’d wondered if it was the fire department emblem that made him seem so sexy. Hannah always had a thing for heroes. But it wasn’t the uniform that turned her head. It was the man beneath it.
    Hannah was impressed to see he’d primped a bit himself. His work boots were replaced by brushed-leather oxfords. Her gaze rested on the vee of his broad chest covered in soft blue cashmere. The fabric draped suggestively, reminding her of the body she’d dreamed about beneath. The cobalt of the sweater brought out the pinstripe in the flat-front micro-fiber slacks he wore. His warm-brown hair was still spiky, but less just-rolled-out-of-bed and more natural and touchable.
    And she wanted to touch him. Every long inch of him, while staring into those deep middle-of-the-ocean-blue eyes. It was now officially her favorite color.
    Goodness, she needed to get a grip on herself. She’d agonized over what to wear for almost an hour before copying the outfit on a mannequin she’d dressed yesterday. She’d let her hair down and spritzed herself with perfume before leaving the store. Everyone must have guessed she had a date.
    The sick thing was she’d wanted them to. Everyone at worked teased her for being a workaholic. She hadn’t been on an actual date in a long time. Something she’d planned beforehand and made time for. This was the first date she’d been on during the holiday season in four years.
    Which had probably made things very easy for Marty, she thought with a huff. Maybe married men scoped out retail managers because they would be too busy to notice being ignored during one of the most important times of the year. She shook her head to dispel the memory. Marty had no business here tonight.
    “What?” Mason’s low baritone rumbled over the hum of the busy restaurant.
    “What what?” she teased up at him and smiled. He had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. A true cobalt blue she noticed in the bright lighting of the restaurant.
    “You shook your head,” Mason said wistfully. “My conversational skills disappointing you again?”
    “Of course not,” Hannah said, surveying the vegetable remains of her pad thai. “You were a little quiet in the beginning, but you warmed right up. I’m actually relieved dominating a conversation isn’t a family trait.”
    In the last half hour, they’d covered all the first-date basics. Hannah had discovered they actually had a lot in common. They generally liked the same music, occasionally the same style of furniture, and rarely had similar tastes in books. They rambled about everything and nothing as they made their way through appetizers and entrees.
    There was nothing about him she hated and a lot of things she liked. He listened intently, waiting for her to volunteer information instead of prying it out of her. Something was happening with this man, something wonderful.
    She reached across the table and laid her fingers lightly over his, amazed by the warmth of his skin. Every inch of this man was hot. Too tempting. She hadn’t even figured out what was wrong with him yet. Hannah pulled her hand back.
    He flipped his hand over and caught hers, blocking her retreat with the steady grasp of his fingers. Palm to palm, she couldn’t ignore the heat pulsing between them. He slowly rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. The contrast of textures made her all the more aware the casual touch was anything but.
    “Do you want to know why I’m