The Heat is On
Page 10

“No strings?”
“No strings. Just fun.” He solemnly brought his hand to his heart. “I promise.”
“Fine.” She jumped off the couch, reached for his hand and tugged him to his feet. “Let’s move to the bed. If we’re going to see each other, we might as well have sex again.”
His shoulders shook with laughter. “Might as well,” he agreed.
Savannah’s head was bent over a yellow legal pad when Matt strode into her flower shop two days later. They’d gone through several more rounds of out-of-this-world sex last night, but today he was determined to launch what he’d dubbed Operation Wholesome. Yes, Savannah drove him wild in bed, but the brief moments of laughter and conversation they’d shared in between hot naked time were equally addictive. He might have promised to keep it casual, but deep down, he knew he wouldn’t live up to that promise.
He wanted to get to know Savannah Harte, and damned if he’d let her stop him from doing that.
As he headed for the counter, he tried not to question his actions. This need to spend time with Savannah outside the bedroom was disconcerting enough already. He was living the dream, after all. Hooking up with a woman who wanted nothing more than some fun between the sheets? Normally his idea of heaven. The fact that he wanted more was too perplexing to examine deeper at the moment.
“Hey,” Savannah said absently as he approached. “I don’t have time to get jiggy right now, Superman. I’m going over this list Annabelle emailed me about the wedding.”
He grinned at the nickname she used, which she’d come up with after he’d described some of the rescue missions he’d been involved in. He couldn’t discuss most assignments, or offer many details, but Savannah had been curious about the life of a Navy SEAL. Since she hadn’t been displaying much interest in him aside from the sexual kind, he’d jumped on the opportunity to bond. And now his heart did a dumb little flip each time she called him Superman.
“I’m not here to get jiggy,” he replied cheerfully. “I’m here to take you to lunch.”
She lifted her head from the notepad, pale yellow tresses falling into her eyes. “I can’t. I’m busy.”
“Tough.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You need to eat. And you can bring your work with you if you want. I can help you come up with ideas for the centerpieces.”
She gave a throaty laugh. “Oh, really? You’re going to talk centerpieces with me?”
“Why not? Every female in the O’Connor family has a green thumb. It’s in my genes.”
Although she looked dubious, she still pushed back her stool and hopped off. Pleasure jolted through him as he realized she’d accepted the invite. As much as he enjoyed seeing her naked, the thought of having lunch with her—with both of them fully clothed—held a huge amount of appeal.
Again, the reaction troubled him. What the hell was going on? Normally he wholeheartedly agreed with Savannah’s views on relationships—who needed ’em? Yet here he was, nearly coming in his pants because this sassy woman was going to eat lunch with him.
“We need to go somewhere nearby,” Savannah said as she grabbed an oversized green canvas purse and slung it over her shoulder. “I want to come back and finalize the orders for the centerpieces.”
“No problem,” he said easily.
He waited for Savannah to summon Chad from the back and ask him to watch the store, then walked ahead to hold the door open for her, admiring the way her filmy floral-print skirt swirled around her knees as she walked. He’d scouted the area on the way over and noticed a small pizza café with an outdoor patio, which he now suggested. Savannah nodded in agreement, and they made their way down the sidewalk. Ten minutes later, they were seated on the cobblestone patio. After ordering beers and a pizza to share, Savannah pulled her notepad from her purse and said, “Okay, let’s see your flower expertise.”
“Hit me,” he said, leaning back in the wrought-iron chair.
“The bride wants, and I quote, ‘something blue and white and sparkly, but natural looking’.”
Matt burst out laughing, getting a frown from Savannah as a reward.
“Do you see why I’m so frazzled?” she said with a sigh. “I mean, can you get any less articulate than that?”
Sensing her frustration, he went serious and asked, “So what are you thinking?”
Her straight white teeth sank into her bottom lip, an action that sent a rush of heat straight down to his cock. The memory of those teeth nibbling on his own lips was still fresh in his mind. Quickly, he forced the thought aside.
“Blue orchids,” she finally said. “Natural birch branches, crystal bowtie vases, and something white… Calla lilies?”
He shook his head. “No way. Too fancy. Lilies will draw the attention away from the orchids. Go with white hydrangea.”
Surprise filled her eyes. Then she started to laugh. “Jeez, you really do know flowers.”
He smirked. “Told you.”
“That’s a good idea,” she admitted. “I didn’t think of hydrangea.” She paused in thought. “Yeah, it’s really good actually. I’ll get started on that today.”
“See how easy that was?” He flashed a charming grin. “Centerpieces, done. What’s next?”
“Backdrops for the head table. The bride wants blue and white again, feminine and elegant.”