“And there she is,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you were being so polite, I was getting worried.”
“Are you saying I’m normally rude?”
“Oh, no, you’re normally very polite. Until I annoy you enough. Then the real Kinley comes out.”
Her jaw dropped open. “You mean you’ve been needling me on purpose?”
“Of course.”
“Wow. And here I thought that was just your amazing personality.”
He leaned against his car, his arms folded over his chest. “The politeness annoys me.”
“Me being polite annoys you? How does that work?” She shivered slightly, her coat not quite up to the chill that had filled the air. It didn’t help that she was tired and hungry, either.
Without a word, he pulled his rather expensive looking coat off and wrapped it around her. She took a step back, reaching for the lapels to pull it off and hand it back, but he reached out and put his hands over hers. “Don’t take that off.”
She froze, his touch shocking her, the command in his voice one she couldn’t ignore, much as she wished she could.
“You’re shivering with cold. I don’t need it.”
“I’m going inside. You have to drive back, you’ll need your coat.”
“Believe it or not, the Maserati has a pretty good heater,” he said dryly. “Keep the coat, you can bring it back later.”
“How is being polite annoying?”
“I just prefer it when people are honest.”
“I’m not dishonest just because I use my manners.”
“No, but I prefer when you lose the façade and say how you really feel. It’s refreshing, something I don’t get often.”
“You don’t have many people who are straight up with you, do you?”
“Most people try to kiss my ass on a daily basis.”
Now it made sense. He didn’t hang around because he was interested in her, but because she was honest with him—once he’d annoyed her enough to rile her temper.
And she wondered what that was like? To live with everyone always telling you what they thought they wanted you to hear.
“I’ll make a deal with you,” she said boldly.
“A deal with the devil, sweetheart? That’s brave of you.”
It was.
“I promise not to tell you what I think you want to hear if you’ll stop annoying me.”
“But it’s such fun. See? I’m a jerk.”
Yeah, sometimes he could be. But he wasn’t an entirely lost cause. “I think you’re redeemable.”
He laughed. “Really?”