“All set?” Trip chuckled, but when he met Kelsey’s blank gaze, he scowled. “I’m not all set. I’m just getting started.”
“Are you trying to prove something to me—make me eat those words I said earlier about your moves and imagination? No need. I take them back.” She stood up, giving him another gorgeous view of her body cloaked in sheer fabric.
His lower half stirred, demanding he seduce her back into bed. “Kelsey, you don’t really want me to go so soon, do you?”
“I’m not saying this can’t ever happen again, just not tonight.” She wrapped a silk robe around her body and sighed. “I’d think you’d be high-fiving me right now. Not only did you get what you wanted, but also you don’t have to cuddle or figure out how to sneak out of bed before the sun rises.”
“Wow. You’re just full of surprises tonight, princess.” The snarky bite in his voice caused her to wince. He stood, watching her gaze rake over his naked body, so he took his time getting dressed while he brooded about the unceremonious way she was kicking him to the curb. “Guess I’ll get out of your hair, then.”
She followed him through the living room and to her front door. Before he opened it, she reached up to his shoulder, her indifferent mask slipping away for a moment. “Thanks for the rose, Trip. That was sweet.”
Sweet? He wasn’t sweet. And he wasn’t about to leave her apartment being the only one who wanted more. He swooped down on her faster than a hawk on a mouse and kissed her, grabbing her ass with both hands.
Her resistance ebbed almost immediately and she kissed him back, digging her hands into his hair and moaning softly from her throat. He caressed her hips, and ran one hand along her upper thigh and in between her legs until he felt her knees buckle. Only then did he release her, leaving her panting and needy, just like him. Now they were even. “See you ’round, princess.”
Chapter Six
Trip’s Tips:
1. Don’t return a new guy’s interest right away. Force his hand. Get him to invest first.
2. Whenever a guy calls for the first time, end the call first because you’ve got to “run.” Leave him wondering where you’re going and who you’re meeting. Jealousy is a powerful motivator.
3. Don’t talk about the guy to anyone for the first few weeks (not with friends or Facebook or anyone else). Let it develop privately.
4. Don’t text him all the time, or ask where things stand, or talk about your desire for marriage and family, for at least two months.
5. Under NO circumstances do you go to bed with him for at least five real dates. Make him work for it.
Kelsey refolded the paper she’d read at least a dozen times in the past ten days and tucked it back in her desk drawer. His obnoxious “advice” directly conflicted with her natural instincts, which made her want to reject it as stupid. But at thirty-one and hopelessly single, she had to consider perhaps her instincts sucked. Trip didn’t understand women at all, but maybe he understood men better than she did.
Of course, thinking of him immediately launched her into yet another lusty daydream. She knew she should stop, but the memories were more addictive—and entertaining—than Scandal.
The alarm on her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. Shoot! She had just ten minutes to get her butt over to the groundbreaking ceremony. Grabbing her keys and purse, she dashed out the door.
She swerved her car into the dusty parking area of Wade’s new project at 10:58 a.m., kicking up pebbles and dust. After checking her hair and lipstick in her rearview mirror, she exited the car and crossed the rocky ground toward where the crowd had gathered. She and the floral-print Miu Miu shoes she’d picked up online at a discount navigated the gravel and divot obstacle course without a major stumble.
As she approached the hub of activity, she smoothed her cream-colored tulip skirt and straightened her shoulders. Scanning the throng, she noticed Mayor Burns, Jimmy, the editor of the local paper, with his photographer, and Sandra, the local branch manager of the bank financing Wade’s project. Wade and a few others were standing along a roped-off section of dirt, each wearing a hardhat and holding a shovel.
When she glanced past the assembly, off to the distant corners of the fifty-acre project, a swell of pride filled her lungs. This deal had not only earned her a bundle, but also had been a huge step in expanding her little company into a residential and commercial real estate brokerage. And if she succeeded in convincing the Copelands to sell, she knew exactly which small apartment complex she wanted to buy with that commission. Broker and landlord; maybe then people in town would start taking her more seriously.