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.” They’d had several new patients added to her floor and she’d skipped lunch.“Why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll get everything on the table.”Ten minutes later, showered and dressed in a simple yellow sundress, and vowing to get through the evening, she went back into the kitchen.“Smells good.What are we having?” Her gaze kept slipping to his chest.All that bare skin begged to be touched.He handed her a glass of wine.When his fingers touched her, it was like a thousand volts of electricity shot right to her heart.“Why don’t you sit down and I’ll serve you?” he said.She sat and Tony quickly placed a plate of tiramisu in front of her.“Dessert first?” She brought a big spoonful of the fluffy sweetness to her mouth.The flavors, the different textures on her tongue, made her purr.“It’s what you like.” He sat in his normal spot across from her.God, she’d missed seeing him there.Missed eating tiramisu.Missed breathing the same air he breathed.“You’re not having any?” Unable to resist, she took another bite.“I’m saving myself for dinner.” He sipped his wine, watching her over the rim.“Am I supposed to believe you made this?” The mocha flavor exploded on her tongue.He grinned and put a hand on his bare chest.“Of course I did.I have no idea how the Little Italy box got in the garbage.”“Mm.I haven’t eaten there in forever.” She savored another bite.He watched her and a slow heat built in his eyes, as if her eating was turning him on.From experience, she knew it didn’t take much to arouse Tony.He liked sex.How could he not like something he was so good at? The thought brought a tightness low in her belly.Suddenly nervous, she put the spoon down.He reached over and ran the tip of his finger over the edge of her plate and then tasted it.“Isn’t that the restaurant where we went on our first date?”“Yes.” Memories of that night filled her mind.Had he chosen to buy the dessert from there because of its history? Was he sitting across from her without a shirt on to make her want him? If so, it was working.He turned his wineglass.“Why don’t we go there next weekend?”Her pulse started racing.Did he plan on being here next weekend? What was his plan? What was Tony doing? “Won’t your bedbug situation be cleared up by then?”The moment the question slipped out, she wanted to take it back.She didn’t want to talk about why Tony was here, because that conversation might lead to why he’d left.And she wasn’t ready to talk about that.She saw him studying her.“You ready for the second course?” he asked, ignoring her question.“Yeah.”Tony served her fried oysters, twice-baked potatoes, and candied carrots—one of the few vegetables she liked.They made small talk.She asked about his dad and about his work.He asked if she’d heard from her father lately and, when she said no, he frowned.Tony wasn’t exactly a fan of her father.Not that she blamed him.She wasn’t exactly a fan herself.She’d forgiven him for many things in her life, but not showing up for Emily’s funeral was the last straw.Trying to pull her thoughts from that path, LeAnn turned the conversation to Nikki.“You don’t really think Nikki Hunt killed her ex-husband, do you?”“My gut says no.But there’s a hell of a lot of circumstantial evidence against her.”“Then follow your gut.It’s always right.”He toyed with the stem of the glass.“You could be nicer to her, too.She thinks you don’t like her.”“I’m just doing my job, LeAnn.”“Do it nicer.”“I’ll work on it.” He stacked their plates and pushed them to the side.“You know Dallas has a thing for her, right?”She smiled.“I kind of got that.”“Did you know she puked on him?”“What?”He told her the story and she couldn’t help laughing.“How serious is it between them?”“I know they’re hitting the sheets already.I think the thing with Serena made him gun-shy.” Tony paused and stared at his wine again before looking up.“I think people sometimes let the past get in the way of the future.They let it stop them from moving forward.”Emotion caught in her chest.She knew he wasn’t talking about Dallas anymore.“It’s not always easy, Tony.”“Not easy.But I think it’d be worth it.”She knew where this conversation was leading.And like the door down the hall that she couldn’t open, she wasn’t ready to face it.Not with Tony.She was almost to the point where she didn’t blame herself for Emily’s death, and if she discovered Tony blamed her even the tiniest bit, she simply didn’t think she could handle it.“Thanks for dinner.” She stood up.“Just leave the dishes and I’ll wash them tomorrow.I’m tired.”“Well, I did ask you if you were gay.” Nikki rubbed the arm of the pink sofa as Dallas returned from the kitchen where he’d drop off their plates.After Tyler left, they’d run to the grocery store for steaks.“You know, the only thing that keeps me from revoking your man card is your aptitude for grilling.” She giggled.“Hey, I’m so masculine that I can own a pink couch.” He dropped down beside Nikki.“You have to admit it’s comfortable.”“Very nice,” she said.“Let’s see how it feels lying down.” He pushed her back and stretched out beside her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]