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same planet.”
    Probably true. No. Absolutely true. What planet was he on, anyway? “Maybe I’ll join you for lunch.” Ryan rose from his stool. “I could eat.”
    Ted moved closer to Paige. “I don’t recall asking you to join us.”
    “And don’t think I didn’t notice that lapse in manners, kid.”
    Paige gasped and glared his way. “What is wrong with you?”
    “Post-traumatic stress disorder. Irritability. Hostility. Aggression. All part of the package.”
    She’d moved to stand toe-to-toe with him. “That’s no excuse. Noah has PTSD, and he doesn’t act like a prick.”
    This close, there was no mistaking the anger he’d caused. He was no stranger to shame, but this was different. He’d acted like a jerk toward Ted for no good reason, and she’d called him on it. That laid him low. A painful lump formed in his throat. “Yourbrother is a far better man than I’ll ever be.” His voice came out a hoarse rasp, and her mouth formed an O. All the anger he’d glimpsed turned to pity. Damn, he didn’t know which was worse.
    “I don’t have a league , Ryan,” she replied softly. “And Ted is family.”
    “Trust me on this, darlin’, the kid here is not looking at you like you’re family. He’s looking at you like—”
    “Fuck you!” Ted snapped and guided Paige away from him toward the door.
    “Exactly,” Ryan muttered as he watched them leave. Bad move. Very bad move. He paced around the room and pulled at his beard. He’d look like a total idiot if he showed up at the diner now, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Ted making a pass at her. Whatever brought Paige to Perfect, he’d seen the vulnerability. What red-blooded male wouldn’t move in on that? “Not good. Not good at all.”
    “What’s not good?” Noah stepped off the freight elevator and looked around. “Where did Ted and Paige go?”
    “They went to Jenny’s diner for lunch. You hungry?” If he showed up with Noah, he could pass it off as being the boss’s idea. He wouldn’t come across as such a schmuck. Noah studied him like he was some kind of new species of one-celled pond life he’d discovered under a microscope. Several seconds passed.
    Noah smirked. “Sure, let’s go eat. How about the truck stop outside of town? They have great burgers.”
    “I was thinking the diner might be nice.”
    “Of course you were.” Noah barked a laugh, shook his head, and headed for the door. “You’re in for it, buddy.”
    Don’t I know it.

    Paige seethed. She hadn’t been able to keep her eyes off Ryan Malloy all morning, and that ticked her off. She’d developed some kind of obsessive fascination with the hairy guy. Was it because his smart mouth didn’t match up with the vulnerability she glimpsed in his gorgeous blue eyes? Maybe. Most likely, the attraction stemmed from the fact that she’d never met anyone like him before in her entire life. Not up close, anyway. That had to be it. Seeing him naked sure didn’t help matters much. He certainly was well proportioned. Broad shoulders, narrow hips, his lean, muscled torso…the dark-blond chest hair leading her gaze farther south to his… Stop it!
    She shook her head, disgusted with herself. No matter where she’d managed to hide out in the building, all she’d wanted to do was head straight for him. Had she learned nothing from her most recent disaster?
    Stay away. Get your act together, and focus on your career.
    Plus, he’d behaved like such a prick. Again. He’d been so sweet with Lucinda and Sweet Pea. He’d even been fun to talk to while they worked together. Normal one minute, primo-jerk the next, and intensely attractive in between—to her, anyway—which should have been a big clue to stay clear. “I wonder what he looks like under all that hair?” she murmured.
    “What’s that, Paige?” Ted asked.
    “Um…nothing.” Heat rose to her cheeks. “How’s school coming along?”
    “It’s tough. Between work and school, I don’t have much time