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I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her closer than I meant to. Without thinking about it, I gave her a peck on the cheek.

As Sarah pulled away, she tucked a hair behind her ear. It was impossible to tell if the pink rising in her cheeks was from the jog down the dock or a faint blush. “Used to the Italians now, huh?”

Leave it to Sarah to give me a convenient excuse for pressing my lips against her gentle cheeks. I nodded. “I guess so.”

Before I sat down, I walked around the table and pulled out her chair.

“Oh, thank you.” Sarah gulped as she sat down, suddenly avoiding my eyes.

I tucked her chair in. Something inside me felt daring, letting my hand graze her back as I moved back to my own seat. My voice dropped to a low rumble, “You’re welcome.”

After I sat across from her, a caterer made their way down the long dock and placed the stainless steel ice bucket in the matching stand next to the table.

“Cheers.” I nodded to the well-dressed gentleman.

Sarah’s eyebrows lifted. “Wow.”

A bottle of Dom Pérignon stuck out of the top of the bucket. Once the waiter had cleared the dock, I reached in, grabbed the perfectly chilled glass, and started to twist the muselet off the top.

Sarah watched my hands closely, a part of her clearly expecting the bottle to explode and spray champagne all over the dock.

“You’re a pro,” she teased.

Looking up from the bottle, I set the metal cage in the bucket. I couldn’t stop myself from smirking as I pulled at the cork. “You’ll get used to it.”

Sarah’s lips parted with a small gasp just as thepopof the cork echoed off of the lake

I reached across the table and grabbed her champagne flute, pouring the bubbly into it. Pouring just to the ideal two thirds mark, I filled both of our glasses. Even as I tried to keep my cool, I wasn’t sure what was coming over me. I was being bold, far bolder than I was with most women.

Sarah took a sip from her glass and groaned. “Wow, that tastes good.”

“Thank god for that.” I winked as I took a sip of my own. I’d bought an entire case and took up far too much cargo space bringing that back for it to be anything less than good.

A silence settled over the table as we dug into the board of food in front of us.

After a moment, Sarah wiped hands. “I’m really sorry about being late. It’s so unprofessional.”

I waved her off. “Please, I know you’re a busy woman.”

“That’s not an excuse. I hope you know how much I value this project.” She paused, letting her blue eyes fall, “And you.”

My jaw clenched at the words. I never wanted to put her in a strange position. After all, I was paying her to work for me. But she was a free agent, and so was I. And I had an idea what might help Sarah Greenwood to relax.

I narrowed my eyes. “Let me take you to dinner.”

20

SARAH

I almost spitout the champagne I had sipped.What?

A part of me thought I had hallucinated the offer. Or maybe I just misinterpreted. Either way, I broke away from her intense gaze, trying not to think about the way her hazel eyes glowed in the evening light.

Instead, I distracted myself with the shimmering lake. A smile teased my cheeks. “Dinner?”

From my periphery, Vic nodded. “Yes. Out of town and not on some rocky, old dock.”

I caved, letting my eyes meet hers again. “Business or a date?”