I laughed, leaning back beside her and folding my arms over my chest. “I’m not worried. My folks adore you, so I know there has to be at least a little good in there. Either that, or you’ve got them and the whole town snowed.”
Her laugh had a smoky, feminine quality to it that made my dick stir and my chest tighten. “Of course. You’re the only one who sees the real, evil me.”
I turned my head and arched a brow. “I knew I was extra clever.”
“Mm-hmm. As a matter of fact, once Evan’s done in there, I’m going to get her good and liquored up and take her for her first tattoo.”
I pointed at her face and warned, “No names, and no tramp stamps.”
She saluted me with a giggle. “Got it. Those are too cliché anyway. I was thinking I’d talk her into a huge back piece.”
I shook my head on a chuckle. It was nice, not going for each other’s jugulars and talking like regular people. Especially considering our last blowup at the office a couple days earlier, in which Luna had dressed me down so brilliantly I hadn’t been able to form a response.
“I owe you an apology,” I admitted, and from the corner of my eye, I saw her head jerk around in my direction.
“Excuse me?”
“That last argument we got into at the office,” I reminded. “You were right. About all of it. My attitude was out of line, and I’m sorry.”
When too much time passed without a response from her, I turned and looked in her direction. Those big, warm cinnamon brown eyes of hers were wide with bewilderment. “What? Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Sorry, I never thought I’d live to see the day you admitted you were wrong about something or apologized. Then to experience both back-to-back?” she gave her head a shake as her lips tilted upward. “I thought maybe I was having a stroke.”
I remembered that she could be a smartass from our night together, but I’d forgotten she could do it in a way I really fucking liked.
“All right,” I said dryly, fighting back a grin. “I hope you savored the experience because it’s never going to happen again.”
“What? Admitting you’re wrong?”
I gave her a cutting look. “Being wrong.”
Her head fell back on a laugh, that fiery hair dancing around her shoulders and back. The breeze picked up, blowing past us and stirring those long locks, sending that arousing scent of hers right into my face. I had to get out of there before I made a fool of myself and tented my pants like a fucking kid. “All right, I guess I’ll go. Have her call me when she’s done, and I’ll come get her. If you need me, you have my number. I’ll be in the office catching up on some work.”
She turned, her gaze trailing me as I descended the porch steps. “You’re going in to work? On a Saturday? Can’t you think of anything better to do?”
“Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Anything?” she lifted her arms to her sides. “Go hang with your buddies, have a couple beers, watch sports and scratch yourself. Whatever guys do when women aren’t around.”
I lifted a finger, “First, that’s not what guys do when there are no women around.” At her arched look I added, “Okay, it’s not only what men do when there are no women around. Second, I don’t have any ‘buds’,” I said, using finger quotes on the last word. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m new in town and have been pretty busy trying to set up a whole new life.”
She folded her arms in front of her and rested them on the railing, leaning forward just enough to give me the smallest view of the cleavage she was sporting beneath her shirt. Jesus, she really was beautiful. “That’s just sad, boss. And that’s what you should be doing instead of going into the office; you should go make some friends.” She waggled her brows playfully. “Want me to make you a playdate?”
“Goodbye, Luna.” I started back toward my car, choking back a laugh the whole way. “Try not to corrupt my kid too much, yeah?”
“I make no promises,” she called after me. “I was thinking we’d binge on a ton of junk food, then go swimming before the thirty minutes you’re supposed to wait. Like rebels.”
I couldn’t fight back the laugh any longer.
And this is why I didn’t want to hire her in the first goddamn place, I told myself as I started my car and threw it in reverse. Because now I wanted to fuck the hell out of my assistant.
Talk about a sexual harassment suit just waiting to happen.