All Grown Up Read Free

rather than the focus
she had hoped for. Erin searched her mind for a meaningless topic,
but Bach startled her by jumping on to the couch beside her. He
sniffed her neck and wagged his tail. She giggled, and he wagged
harder.
    “Bach,” said Blake, sounding stern. “Watch
your tail.”
    Too late. The bushy tale knocked off an
abstract sculpture on the end table. “Oops,” said Erin, unable to
suppress a chuckle as the dog tried to climb on to her lap. “Okay,
boy, lay down.” To her surprise, the dog obeyed, curling up on the
cushion beside her. She stroked his fur in reward and turned her
head to Blake. “Do you need help cleaning it up?”
    He shook his head. “Nope.” The figure was in
two pieces in his hands.
    She frowned. “I’m sorry. I feel like it’s my
fault it got broken.”
    Blake gave her a lazy grin. “It’s not your
fault my dog finds you irresistible. As for the statue—well, it was
ugly, and I never liked it.”
    “Why’d you keep it?”
    He shrugged, heading into the kitchen. “It
was a gift.”
    The way he said it revealed it was probably a
gift from one of his entourage. Rolling her eyes, she returned her
attention to Bach. Every nerve in her body jumped to attention when
he sat down on the cushion beside her, several closer than where
he’d been to start with. She’d chosen the corner cushion, so there
was nowhere to go. Only Bach separated them.
    He whined and rolled over on his back.
Charmed, Erin reached out to scratch his tummy as Blake did the
same. Their hands collided, and she immediately snatched hers back,
as though his touch burnt. In a way, it did. Every touch sizzled
her nerve endings and contributed to a slow burn of desire. Thank
goodness she’d had the forethought to pack her vibrator for the
trip. After this tense, frustrating evening with him, she was going
to need it.
    Blake tilted his head, examining her as
intently as he might one of his spreadsheets. “You don’t like me at
all, do you?”
    Erin froze, struggling to swallow the lump in
her throat. “Don’t be silly. I don’t even know you.”
    “You know me a little. It seems like you know
enough to think you don’t like me.”
    How could she respond to that? “It’s not
important.”
    He frowned. “I’d like to know why you don’t
like me?”
    “I didn’t say I didn’t like you.” She sighed.
“I just don’t know you.”
    “Let’s get to know each other then.”
    Erin licked her lips. “What’s the point? I’ll
be going back to my hotel in a little bit. I doubt we’ll see each
other again.”
    Blake shifted, bringing him a fraction
closer. “You’ve decided on New York?”
    Erin shrugged. “I don’t know yet.”
    “If you move here, it would be nice to have a
friend.”
    She gave him an impersonal smile. “I’m sure
I’ll make friends quickly.”
    “Just not with me.” He sighed, looking
annoyed.
    It took considerable effort to rein in the
impulse to brush the blond hair off his forehead and smooth that
worry spot between his eyebrows. “I didn’t say that,” she said with
a sharp edge of irritation.
    His gaze drilled through her, daring her to
lie. “You don’t have to say anything. I got the picture loud and
clear without you uttering a word.”
    Looking away, she chose not to answer. She
could either stroke his ego and tell him she was deliberately
keeping herself from liking him, or she could let him think she
just didn’t click with him. That was far better.
    Bach rolled over again, sitting up. He put
his head on her shoulder, as if commiserating, before jumping down
and trotting across the hardwood floor to some unknown
destination.
    “Dinnertime,” said Blake. “He eats this late
every night. I think he waits to make sure he’s not going to get
even one more scrap of human food before giving in and eating the
dog food.”
    Erin managed a small smile, glad he was
smoothing over the incident. Her relief faded when he closed the
distance between them, placing his