Own the Night. Debbi Rawlins

fingers.

      In spite of himself, Noah felt his chest tighten with sympathy. He again urged her to sit down, and then got a fresh bottle of water out of the minifridge. He uncapped the bottle before setting it on the desk in front of her, and watched her slip the butterscotch into her mouth.

      The tip of her tongue swiped at her lower lip, and his whole body tensed for a moment. He rolled a shoulder and glanced away. Maybe he ought to sit down, too. She might need a minute. He sure did. He felt better once he’d put his desk between them.

      Her gaze went to his chest, then drifted up to meet his. “I’m being a real pain in the ass, aren’t I?”

      “Not your fault. Hope you don’t hold what happened against the Sundance.” He kept his eyes steady on hers. “The McAllisters are fine folks.”

      “Of course I wouldn’t hold any of this against them. Good God, I shouldn’t have let go of the suitcase handle. I’m a New Yorker. I know better.”

      “You don’t have an accent.”

      Her sudden smile caught him off guard. She was plenty attractive, but when her lips tilted up like that she could throw a man off his game. “Neither do you, Sheriff.”

      “Reckon I deserved that.”

      “I knew what you meant.” Her smile fading, she idly tugged at her blouse collar, then unfastened the top button. “I went to prep school in Connecticut. No common accents allowed. And if the headmistress hadn’t put her foot down, Eleanor would have.” Alana slid the second button free and took a deep breath. “Are we leaving soon? Otherwise I think I’ll take off my jacket. It’s a bit warm in here.”

      He wouldn’t mind seeing what she looked like under that heavy tweed…. Hell, what was wrong with him? “How are you feeling? Think you could walk to my truck at the curb?”

      Her cheeks were slightly flushed. “We’re going straight to the store, aren’t we?”

      “If we are, better you sip some water and wait to give that sugar a chance to work.”

      Moistening her lips, she nodded, then started to reach for the bottle. She stopped and shrugged out of her jacket. “I’m too warm.”

      Noah stared at her thrusting breasts, realized what he was doing, and forced his gaze out the window. “Why haven’t you eaten?”

      She hesitated, long enough that her apparent reluctance to answer drew his attention back to her. “I was rushed.” She grabbed the water bottle, looked away and gulped greedily.

      He got the impression she didn’t want to be pressed. “In a hurry to get out of the city?”

      “Sort of.” She dabbed at her mouth and sighed. “I feel better already. I thought it would be cooler here this time of year.”