He leaned in close and wiped her cheek with a napkin. “You have rub on your face.”
Their gazes met, held. Was she imagining the heat swirling around them?
“Well, if it isn’t Tiffani Romano,” came a sarcastic tone she recognized.
A cold wind blew over her, removing the warmth that had been there only seconds before. The urge to groan grew. Lou. What was he doing here? Why was this happening to her? She didn’t even want to look. Would it have been so bad for her to have stayed in the heavenly moment Rex had created?
Against her better judgment, she looked up.
“Isn’t this a surprise?” Lou said in far too cheerful a voice, his mouth wide with a smile.
“I guess you could call it that.” Why couldn’t he have just walked on by? More than that, why did she let him get to her? She didn’t mean anything to him. All he was trying to do was belittle her to make himself feel more important. He wanted to humiliate her. Again. He made a point of stopping by the office almost daily. She didn’t deserve it on her day off as well.
“Funny meeting you here,” Lou said.
Tiffani didn’t think it was humorous at all. She glanced at the woman with him, who was apparently his newest conquest.
As if she’d given him a reminder to gloat, Lou put his arm around the woman’s shoulders and pulled her in so tightly she came off one foot. “This is Monique. She’s an up-and-coming model. You may have seen her in a couple of magazines.”
Tiffani had. Almost all of her.
She looked at Rex, who must have noticed the anguish in her eyes because he put his arm across the back of her chair and leaned in close. “Honey, aren’t you going to introduce me?”
She couldn’t deny the pleasure she felt when Lou’s smile drooped. “Uh, this is Lou Habersham. A coworker.” She put emphasis on the last word. “Lou, Dr. Rex Maxwell.”
“Tiffani, we were more than coworkers,” Lou said in a meaningful tone.
“And we aren’t anymore.” Tiffani felt sorry for Monique, having to listen to this.
Rex smiled and offered his hand. “Your loss is my gain.”
Lou looked as if he were taking Rex’s hand more out of duty than desire.
“I wish we could ask you to join us but we’ve just finished our meal and are on our way out. We have something special planned for this afternoon.” Rex made the word special sound so suggestive that Tiffani blushed. That would give Lou his comeuppance. Thanks to Rex, it now looked like she had a hot doctor and didn’t need him anymore.
Taking her elbow, Rex guided her to her feet. “Enjoy your meal,” he said to Lou, who now looked baffled.
Tiffani gave Monique a reassuring smile. Lou said nothing. She silently cheered Rex for leaving the pompous man speechless. As they walked toward the door she whispered, “Thanks for that.”
Rex moved his hand from her elbow to her waist. “You’re welcome.”
She appreciated his support. How had he known she’d needed it?
They paused at the hostess stand, where Rex handed Joe a few bills. “Ribs were great, Joe. I’ll be back soon.”
“I’m going to count on that. Bring your lady with you.”
“I’ll do that.”
She wasn’t Rex’s lady, but after seeing Lou she needed to feel like she belonged to him, even if it was just for a few minutes.
They climbed the stairs and exited. A dark cloud filled the western sky. There was a roll of thunder before a shower of rain began.
“Do you want to chance it or wait while I go get the car?” Rex asked.
“I’ll walk. I don’t want to wait here.”
“Okay.”
Tiffani headed down the sidewalk. He kept pace with her but didn’t try to take her hand or touch her. As they went, lightning streaked across the sky and the wind picked up. The rain grew heavier. He grabbed her hand and they ran the last of the distance to the car.
Inside it Rex finally asked, “You want to tell me what that was all about back there?”
“It doesn’t matter. It was just Lou, being the jerk he is.”
“It looked and sounded like more than that.” He watched her.
She finally met his gaze. “Rex, I’m sorry. We were having a nice meal. I ruined it and now you’re all wet. I’ll get you home.”
The thunderstorm roared around them.
“I hate wet jeans,” Tiffani complained as she started the car. “They stick to you...”
Rex’s mouth quirked. “But the view is nice.”
Warmth filled her that had nothing to do with the heat coming from the dashboard. Rex had a way of making her feel good about herself, she admitted with reluctance. “I’ll have you at your place in a sec. I’ve already taken up too much of your day.”
They rode in silence. They were almost at his apartment when lightning lit the sky just before a heavy roll of thunder followed. The rain made it hard to see in front of them.
“You’re not driving home in this. It’s too dangerous. Come up to my place until it passes.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Where do you live?” Rex asked.
“Out toward Germantown.”
“That’s a good thirty to forty minutes away. More in this weather, and it’s headed that direction.” He squinted out the windshield.
Fear that if she went into his home she might not want to leave prompted her to protest, “I’m sure you had other plans for your day besides seeing after me.”
“Doctor’s orders. You’re coming in with me.”
She couldn’t sit around in his house in wet clothes. “I’m a mess. I don’t have any spare clothes with me.”
“I’ll find something you can wear. Stop arguing.” When she reached his address he said, “Drive around the block and up the alley. I have a garage there. You can’t park on the street in this area.”
Tiffani did as he said.
Halfway down the row he instructed, “Let me out here. I’ll raise the door.”
She watched as he climbed out into the downpour and pulled up the large square metal door. He must feel as miserable as she did in his wet clothes. His back muscles flexed under the soaked, clinging fabric of his T-shirt. He wasn’t the only one who could appreciate a view.
Seconds later he was waving her into the garage. His bike was parked there and she pulled in next to it and got out. She stepped into the rain beside him as he pulled the door down in one quick motion. Together they hurried to a single wooden door across the way. Rex pulled keys from his pocket and opened it. Swinging it wide, he let her enter ahead of him.
“Head upstairs. The door at the top is open.”
A light came on as she took the first step. The space smelled of oil and lemon, as if the wood had been cared for with polish. She pushed open the door at the top into a spacious kitchen area with brick walls, stainless-steel appliances and an ultra-modern dinning set. The floors were dark hardwood that gleamed even in the dim light. One wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, and beyond that was a roof patio with plants everywhere, even a raised garden. More astonishing was a view of the river.
She turned t
o Rex. “This is an amazing place.”
“I’ll let you look around to your heart’s desire after you get out of those wet clothes. Come this way and I’ll show you where you can get a shower.” He headed down a wide hallway into a huge space that faced the street, visible through four tall windows that lined the front. True to his word, he didn’t give her time to explore, leading her to a small hall with two doors leading off it. He went into the one on the right. She followed. He had stopped in the middle of a room that looked as if it doubled as an office and guest room.
He pointed to another door. “There’s the bath. Make yourself at home. I’ll put some clothes on the doorknob. There’s lots of hot water so take your time.” He circled her and left, shutting the door behind him.
* * *
Rex wondered what possessed him to insist that Tiffani come in. Maybe it was the sad look in her eyes when she’d seen that guy at the restaurant, or the drowned-rat look after they’d jumped into the car, or just that he didn’t want her to leave him yet. Whatever it was, he had to live with the decision now.
Tiffani was undressing in his bathroom. He shouldn’t have been concerned about having a hot bath because what he really needed was a cold one. Opening a drawer, he selected a T-shirt for her to wear and pulled sweat pants off a hanger in his closet. Going back into his spare room, he hung the clothes on the doorknob of the closed bathroom door.
A sound came from inside. He grinned. Tiffani was singing a pop song. If he didn’t get moving, the temptation to ask if he could join her would overcome common sense.
Forcing himself to go to his own bath, he peeled off his wet clothes and stepped under the shower. Minutes later he, dried off and pulled on a fresh T-shirt and a pair of shorts. Gathering his wet clothes, he checked to see if Tiffani was done. Sounds came from the kitchen so he headed that way.
Tiffani stood in her bare feet, looking into a cabinet. She looked so cute, wearing his clothes, even though they were large on her. Her hair was down. The gorgeous tresses fell just below her shoulders.
“I didn’t know what I should do with my wet clothes,” she said over her shoulder, “so I found the washer and put them in there. Why don’t you put yours in with mine and get them going?”