Elisa pulled in a breath and pursed her lips. “I didn’t want to say anything at first, but the food he brought out for the shoot looked amazing.” She picked up her fork and pushed at the lettuce. “Not at all like this.”

Brody drummed his fingers on the leather booth. “Travis has a bit of a problem with consistency. It’s something we’re working on.”

“I’ve photographed a lot of food over the past few years, and he definitely shows some promise. It might be an age thing. How old is he?”

“I think he’s a few years younger than me.” Brody ran a hand over the dark stubble on his chin. “Twenty-seven, twenty-eight maybe.”

So Brody was older than she was. He looked about her age, but she was twenty-eight so he had to be at least thirty or thirty-one. “He’ll get there,” she said. “Maybe he just needs some more experience.”

“Maybe,” Brody muttered while staring at a point over her shoulder. “I’m sorry about the meal. Every diner deserves top quality. Not…” He lifted a hand toward her dish. “That.”

She dropped her attention to the salad. “To be honest, I wasn’t that hungry.”

Her heart tattooed against her rib cage while his eyes continued to burn into hers. Oh yes, Brody could very well be dangerous to her and the quiet life she’d built for herself. Elisa wasn’t inexperienced or anything, but she generally stayed out of the dating scene. After her last disastrous relationship in college, she’d placed a nice little bubble around herself so as not to experience anything like that again. She had her quaint house big enough for just her and her photography. That was all she needed to be happy, thank you very much. The man sitting across from her had the potential to send all that to hell in a handbasket. It might be a fun ride down, but she’d been there and had no desire to go again.

“So, why’d you agree to stay if you weren’t hungry?”

His bedroom voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Yes, why had she? Because he was nice to look at? Okay, way more than nice. So, she’d succumbed to the chemical reaction he had on her. Big deal. She could hardly say that to him, though.

I just wanted an excuse to look at you because you’re so darn good looking.

Yeah, probably not a good thing to say. But it was all she had. So she lied.

“I guess I wanted to taste some of the food that looked so good.”

He tilted his head to one side. “Except it wasn’t that good.”

Her teeth plunged into her lower lip. “Well, no. But if Travis can make every dish like the ones I photographed, then you guys are all set.” When Brody didn’t respond she added, “You’re not sure, are you?”

“That’s a terrible thing, isn’t it?”

Elisa glanced at their surroundings. The place had been well decorated, she’d give him that. The plethora of sport-themed photographs was a nice touch and added a homey feel to the place. The rumor mill around town said that the Golden Glove had a tendency to get a bit rowdy, which kept away most families. Elisa didn’t have a hard time picturing that as she ran her eyes across the long bar on the other side of the restaurant. As she’d told Brody, she’d never been here, partly because of the name the place had made for itself. Not that she’d tell him that. She had the sneaking suspicion the Golden Glove was his baby. With the steady downhill descent of the restaurant, Brody had to be racking his brain about how to bring the place back to glory. And she could begin to imagine the stress he must be under. As the general manager, the ultimate responsibility of the restaurant landed squarely on his shoulders. Having a spread in a local magazine was a start. The key, however, was having at least a three-star chef in this little town. Was Travis one of those? Elisa wasn’t convinced.

“I wouldn’t say it’s terrible,” she answered. “You’re cautious, as you should be.”

His mesmerizing eyes narrowed at her. “What exactly have you heard about this place?”

“Nothing bad,” she assured him. “Well, I heard the food isn’t as good and it’s not as family friendly as it was a few years ago.”

“That’s kind of bad.” The smile creeping along his kissable mouth had her toes curling in her too-pointy shoes.

Just remember the bubble.

What kind of person was she? First she told him the food wasn’t good, after they’d prepared it for her, then she told him his restaurant had a bad reputation? Maybe she should have declined his invitation so Brody wouldn’t feel the need to go hang himself.

She reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his. Her first thought was how big and warm he was. His fingers were long and thick and felt oh-so-nice beneath hers. Way too nice, actually. She pushed the thought aside. “It’s nothing that can’t be fixed. Photo shoots like this are a good way of getting a place back on its feet.”

Big mistake touching him. His big, warm, hard hand was a quintessentially male thing that Elisa had fallen victim to in her youth. The veins beneath the surface of his skin pressed against the inside of her palm. Her index finger actually itched to trace each vein over his hand and up his arm until she reached his shoulder.

Okay, time to leave. She needed to leave now.

Brody left his palm under hers. “I’m sorry about the meal.”

Reluctantly, Elisa removed her hand from his. “It wasn’t that terrible. The nonburned pieces of chicken were actually pretty good.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” The smile that had been playing across his mouth grew wider.

The butterflies from earlier returned and danced all over her stomach. When was the last time she’d reacted this way to a man? Like she wanted to crawl across the table and settle herself on his hard thighs.

She found herself smiling along with him. “That’s the general idea, yes. Is it working?”

He waited a second before answering. “That depends on whether or not you’re willing to come back.”

Remember the part about leaving? Now would be a good time to do that.

Oh, but how could she leave this booth when the man across from her stirred things inside her she’d never felt before? Why would she deny herself that? Yes, it was smart to protect herself, which she worked very hard at.

Brody glanced at his silver watch. “Not that I’m trying to rush you or anything, but I have to get back to work. How about I walk you out?”

The invitation sounded so much more seductive than it should have been. As though walking her out would turn into some forbidden tryst that would leave her boneless.

And what if it did? You know you’d jump at the opportunity. You’re already lusting after him.

On the other hand, Elisa needed to tread carefully. If the opportunity to travel the world for a major magazine presented itself, she’d take it in a heartbeat. How would that work if there was a man in her life? A man she could easily develop some very deep feelings for?

Simple answer: It wouldn’t work.

Perhaps she could indulge herself just this once. After all, it’s not like he was down on one knee. He was doing the chivalrous thing by escorting her to her car. What harm was there in that?

“Okay,” she found herself saying.

He led her outside, and she didn’t protest when he placed a hand on the small of her back. Not only didn’t she oppose, but she kind of liked it. Liked it a lot, actually. His touch made her bones feel all gooey, and a warm feeling skittered up her spine. And was he walking so close to her on purpose? Because she swore she could actually smell him—some kind of woodsy bar soap that was nothing but cleanliness and masculinity.

Low-lying clouds drifted across the sky in the gentle breeze and hid the sun. Wind in Wyoming could often be an issue, especially in their area. At times it blew nonstop and often posed problems when she went out to take pictures. Luckily today it was pretty tame. With the low winds and cloud cover, it was actually a pleasant day.

Elisa led Brody to her compact SUV, parked on the side of the building. Before lunch, she’d taken the time to load all of her equipment in the back of the car.

“When I get home, I’ll upload the photos to my computer and put together a proof sheet for you. From there, we will go over the pictures together, choose what you want, and then they have to go to the magazine for approval.”

He nodded his understanding, even though he looked like he wasn’t interested in their conversation. Elisa could safely say that he looked interested in something, just not what she was saying. He tilted his head and dipped his gaze downward, touching every part of her until she felt exposed. How could a man have the ability to make her feel naked? And why did she like it so much?

“Okay,” he said noncommittally, as though he were commenting on the weather. He took a step closer to her, but she didn’t back up, mostly because he smelled so damn good. “What do I have to do to get you to come back here? I’ll even cook the meal myself.”

The huskiness of his voice bushed over her skin and left her breathless. A man hadn’t come on to her like this in a long time. Oh sure, they flirted with her. But this was more than flirting. This was outright seduction. The tone of his voice held all sorts of promises, the kinds of promises that led to screaming.

For a moment she couldn’t say anything, because she was literally speechless. Not only was Brody gorgeous, but he was so easy to talk to. He was the kind of guy she could spill her guts to, tell things she hadn’t shared with anyone. She ought to say no. She really wanted to. No, needed to. But jumping into a relationship with him could be exhilarating at the very least.