Page 59 of Between Hello and Goodbye

Chapter Ten

Though it was another Very Bad Idea, I agreed to have dinner with Asher in Hanalei later that evening. He drove me back to my condo and walked me to the door, holding it open for me so I could hobble inside.

There was a short moment as I crossed the threshold when I entered the protective circle of his body as he held the door. I felt the heat of him, smelled the ocean salt on his skin, instantly intoxicated by his nearness while visions of him shirtless danced in my head. I nearly turned into that circle, nearly let the crutches fall to press myself against the brick wall of his body, tilting my mouth up to let him have me and damn all my rules.

But I slipped inside and shut the door behind me with a murmuredthank you, and if that’s not self-restraint of the most epic and admirable proportions, I don’t know what is.

“The monks have nothing on me,” I muttered.

I rested my foot for the rest of the afternoon, made a few calls to the agency to check on my accounts.

“They really want you back,” Jess told me. “Have you heard of Zuma?”

“The winter wear company, right?” I said. “Snowboarding gear, skiing…”

“That’s them,” my assistant said. “With the Winter Olympics coming up, they’re circling the agency but want you specifically.”

“That feels nice,” I said and realized I wanted them too. I actually missed my job and the opportunity it gave me to be creative and—dare I say it—artistic. “Thanks for the info, Jess.”

“Of course. How are things there?”

I was about ready to burst with desire—sexual and otherwise—for a truly good man that lived thousands of miles away from me. That’s howthingswere.

Quite the predicament you’ve gotten yourself into, Benson.

“Everything’s great. See you in a few,” I said.

I hung up with Jess and got ready for dinner. As I maneuvered through a shower and dressed, I noticed the vast improvement in my ankle, despite the day’s exertions. I could take halting steps without crutches now and the swelling was nearly gone.

I can handle a lot morephysicalactivity…

“Stop it.”

I put on a dress that went to mid-thigh, pale blue with spaghetti straps. Back in Seattle, Viv called it my Man Killer. The dress was more like a slip than anything that should be worn in public. In my hurried exodus from the mainland, I’d packed it because it’d been one of a handful of garments appropriate for the Hawaiian climate.

It’s borderline inappropriate in any climate.

The silky material flowed over my skin like water, highlighting my breasts and teasing the outline of my nipples, since wearing a bra with it was out of the question. With only a thong underneath, I felt practically naked. Nothing a woman wore gave men implicit consent but when I put on this dress, I had an agenda.

“It’s an invitation,” I murmured and waited for the woman in the mirror to snap at me to take it off and put on something else. To be responsible instead of reckless.

Don’t you dare change.

So much for responsible.

Apparently, I was willing to toss my cards on the table and play them as they lay. Because depriving myself of Asher’s body wasn’t working. My stupid heart was stripping itself bare for him whether I touched him or not.

He arrived-slash-barged in at six-thirty, as the light outside was dimming to muted gold. One look at me and he came to a screeching halt, his dark eyes widening, then roving over me as I stood up from the couch.

“What are you wearing?” he demanded, alarmed.

“A dress,” I said, my breath catching at the heat in his eyes and the way his hands flexed, as if they itched to touch me.

“A dress,” he repeated, and for a moment I wondered if dinner was going to be postponed for the aforementioned physical activities I wanted. But he gave his head a shake and turned away. “Reservation’s at seven.”

“That’s half an hour from now for a place that’s forty minutes away,” I said with a smile, regaining my composure. “I thought the Autobahn was in Germany.”

He didn’t smile but held the door for me, and the same scenario as earlier that day repeated itself, only this time I heard his soft inhale of my perfume, felt his entire body vibrating as I passed. I waited for him to break free of his restraint and grab me, strip off this nothing dress, and take me right on the floor. Or against the wall. Or on the counter.