“Oh, no,” I shook my head. “My sisters would have a field day if some hot guy dropped me off.” I slapped my hand over my mouth, but it was too late. Judging by the look on his face, the wordhothad come out loud and clear.
“Look, I really need to go.” I turned to walk away but Tyler wrapped his arm around my waist, spun me around, and pulled me in against his warm body. I melted like butter. I didn’t have the guts to face him so I stared at a button on his shirt.
“Melinda, I’m usually not this bold,” he sighed. “But for one reason or another, I can’t let you just leave. Not until we’ve had dinner or something.”
“Maybe the chemicals I used got to your head,” I muttered. His body vibrated as he chuckled.
“If you must know, I had decided to ask you out to dinner before you started cleaning.”
“What?” I looked up at him. “Really?”
“Really,” he nodded.
“Why’s that? I’m just the help.” My words were meant to ease my nervousness. However, when he gave me a disappointing look, I instantly regretted saying them. “Sorry,” I whispered.
“The job you do is an important one. And if any asshole tells you differently or calls youthe help, you tell them to give me a call,” he growled. He sounded royally pissed off. “I hate assholes who think they’re better than everyone else.”
“I see this,” I smiled.
“Sorry,” he offered me an apologetic smile. “Look, I would have wanted to take you out to dinner or make you dinner regardless of where we met. As I said, I’m not usually like this but for some reason with you, I am. So I’m rolling with it.”
“I’ll admit the car thing was a creepy move,” he continued at a million words per minute. “Somehow I’ll redeem myself for--”
“Breathe, Tyler. Holy hell,” I laughed. He stopped mid-sentence and smiled wide. When realization struck me, I groaned but it wasn’t long before I laughed. “Looks like I said your name.”
“That you did,” he smiled. “Melinda?”
“Hmm?”
I can get lost in these,I thought as I stared into his piercing green eyes.
“Will you let me cook you dinner?” he asked with a hopeful look on his face. I let out a sigh and leaned my forehead on his chest.
“You are one determined man,” I sighed in defeat.
“I’ve been told that a time or two,” he laughed. “Wouldn’t be my own boss if I wasn’t.”
Own boss? My curiosity was piqued.
“What exactly do you do?”
“Have dinner with me and I’ll tell you,” he smirked.
“Geeze,” I groaned but laughed despite myself. “This is not how my mom raised me.”
“And why would it be so bad to have dinner with me?”
“Because you’re a client and it wouldn’t be professional. My mom would have my head if she knew I had dinner with one of her clients.”
“Ah. The plot thickens,” he nodded as though he had just discovered a clue. “Well, I can assure you. I won’t be calling your mom to tell her. That has death-wish written all over it. Between your mother and seven sisters, I’d probably end up on a missing person’s poster.”
“So dramatic,” I giggled.
“Your sisters aren’t protective of you?” His eyebrow rose and he cocked his head to the side.
“They’d be all for me going on a date.”
The look on Tyler’s face made me kick myself in the ass. He had never said the worddate.He had only saiddinner.
