Page 15 of Penny & Royce

Heat rose in her cheeks. The man had disappeared for two weeks. She should not be noticing how good he smelled or how blue his eyes were or how badly she wanted to step closer instead of back.

Reality finally knocked into her, and she lifted a hand between them, pressing lightly against his chest to make a point more than to move him. “If you think you can flirt with me, tease me, then disappear, you have another thing coming.”

“I didn’t disappear, beautiful.” His voice gentled. “I was busy.”

Her look sharpened.

He sighed, some of the arrogance easing from his face. “That came out wrong. I had work that took more of my time than I expected, but I should have called. Or texted. Something.”

“Yes,” she said. “You should have.”

“I know.” His gaze held hers. “And I’m sorry I was busy.”

That should not have disarmed her as much as it did.

“Yeah, well, whose fault was that?” She’d meant for her voice to be sharp and accusatory. But instead, it came out more disappointed than anything.

His expression shifted at that. The teasing didn’t vanish completely, but something quieter moved in behind it.

“I couldn’t just swing by your place,” he said. “I didn’t want to show up where I wasn’t invited.”

She hated that he could take the hit without arguing. It made staying irritated much harder.

Royce moved a little closer, slow enough that she could have stepped away if she wanted to. Penny didn’t. Her breath caught as his gaze dropped briefly to her mouth, then returned to her eyes.

For one wild second, she thought he might kiss her.

He didn’t.

Instead, he stopped just shy of doing something they couldn’t take back.

“We’re still going to have that perfect day, beautiful,” he said, his voice low enough to send a shiver across her skin. “If you still want it.”

Penny’s fingers tightened around her keys. “That depends.”

“On?”

“On whether you plan to disappear again.”

“I don’t.” He held her gaze. “Just give me a little more time to get things in order.”

She should have said no. She should have told him he’d already had his chance. Instead, she stood there with her heart acting foolish and her thoughts scattering in every direction.

Royce stepped back, shoving his hands into his pockets as if he knew better than to push his luck. “You’ll see. It’s gonna be worth the wait. I promise.”

“You seem awfully sure of yourself.”

“Only about a few things.”

“And this is one of them?”

His smile returned, warm and confident and entirely too effective. “Definitely.”

He backed away, then turned when he reached his motorcycle and climbed on. She wanted to holler at him that motorcycles weren’t practical, but she was still too stunned to speak.

He started the engine, gave her one last look, and pulled away from the curb.

“What in the world?” she whispered to herself as he disappeared down the street.