Need You for Mine(19)

Adam looked down at their hands, and suddenly the friendly gesture felt anything but. “Maybe I could get that private showing? Honeysuckle was the style, wasn’t it?”

“Are you kidding me?” Harper removed her hand and studied him long and hard to see if, in fact, he was. Nope, she acknowledged as he casually flipped his ball cap around and shrugged. He was dead serious.

“I never kid about lingerie.”

“Except you came here to find your jacket.” That he’d forgotten after getting his pre-party on. “Not tonight’s date.”

He also hadn’t really apologized. For putting her in a weird situation by sneaking into her grandma’s shop for an after-hours playdate with Baby. Or kissing Harper. Or not bothering to call the next day.

Not that it mattered. He’d come with one woman, kissed another, then left alone. Harper had gotten the impression he enjoyed the kiss, but she regretted it all the same.

Clay asking her to babysit Tommy had knocked her off balance, and she’d still been teetering when Adam found her. Otherwise she never would have allowed his flirtations to go that far.

“Problem is, I got distracted by a red dress,” he said, dropping his gaze again.

“That is a problem.” Because tomorrow he’d be distracted by a bartender in a short skirt, and his world would keep spinning. Thankfully, Harper suffered from severe motion sickness, so spinning wasn’t in her best interest. “Just not mine, since I’m not interested in being one of your many conquests.”

Adam’s eyes took a slow inventory of her summer collection, then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly and he shrugged. “Okay. I’ll be one of yours.”

Harper almost fluttered. Almost. Only right at the first sign of wings in her belly, he smiled, big and smug and so full of himself, and the flutter turned to irritation. “Whatever game you think we’re playing, I’m not interested.”

“Your dress says otherwise.”

“This dress isn’t for you,” she primly pointed out and wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. Rule number three clearly stated to maintain direct eye contact—and she wasn’t about to let him win. “It’s for an important meeting, which you are keeping me from.”

“That may be, sunshine. But the hair? Slept-in bed waves, I believe we called it.” He reached out and fluffed it some. “That wasn’t for the meeting, and it’s a game changer. Well played.” His tone was a mix of surprise and respect. “Now, when you go back in there, make sure you’re a little breathless.” His thumb ran along her lower lip, smudging her lipstick, and she felt her pulse skyrocket. “Yeah, just like that.”

“Like what?” she heard herself whisper.

“Like you’re interested.”

A flash went off behind them, someone’s camera phone clicking away. Not that Adam seemed to care. With a wink that had her toes curling, he sauntered off toward the engine parked at the curb, his swagger proving rule number one: being comfortable in your own skin was the key to sexual allure. And Adam didn’t just feel comfortable, he owned it.

Harper stood in silence, her heart thudding against her sternum as she took in a deep breath. Then ten more to be sure she didn’t look as if she were interested.

Which she so wasn’t.

“Hidden depths my ass,” she mumbled as she watched him drive away. The man was as shallow as a puddle in the summer. Not that this should have surprised her.

St. Helena’s notorious playboy made no apologies, no promises, and no excuses for his frat-boy take on life. Women knew it. Men knew it. The whole town knew it. It was only Harper, and her see-the-good-in-everyone outlook, who had forgotten.

Harper turned to walk into the shop and nearly bumped into Chantel, who had come out to watch Adam parade his ego and engine down Main Street. And she wasn’t alone in the gawking. A half dozen other women remained crowded around the doorway as well, hollering for Adam to demo his hose for their followers on Facebook. Including Clovis.

Ignoring the crowd, the snapping cameras, and her grandma’s catcalls, Harper smoothed down the skirt of her dress and addressed Chantel. “Sorry about that. He was just looking for his jacket.”

“His jacket,” Chantel said loudly enough to be heard in New Zealand. She took in Harper’s newly tossed hair and lips and laughed. “That Honeysuckle must be one hot piece if he’s driving up on that engine just to get a peek.”

“What?” Harper asked, then saw the amused twinkle in Chantel’s eye. “Oh, no, Adam and I were just—”

“Looking for his jacket?” she said again with the laugh. “Look, I have to be honest, I came here to let you know that we’re looking to place our merchandise in stores that are trending, that speak to a younger, edgier woman. Our core customer is bold and driven, a trendsetter with a sensual side who’s dominating the boardroom and looking to dominate the bedroom”—Chantel pointed to the fire engine pulling down Main Street—“with a man like that.”