and in his own boxers and undershirt while her filthy clothes were drying by a bonfire in some godforsaken stretch of remote wilderness. Sexy . Sexy when she chased him down to exact her revenge for a well-aimed snowball to the face, sexy when she greeted him half-asleep, grudging smile framed behind the chain-lock of her motel room door at 3 a.m.
Kateâs burger arrived and she luxuriated in it, a cat in a sunbeam.
âI hate you,â Ty murmured, mouth watering for more than just the burger.
âOh man, this is amazing. So juicy.â
âI hope you get food poisoning.â
âI suppose Iâm overdue,â she said through a bite.
That was true enough. The number of times sheâd smoothed Tyâs hair off his forehead and rubbed his back while he suffered through the consequences of an ill-advised meal out in the woods⦠Sheâd said she was prepared to do anything as a PA, no matter how unglitzy, but she couldnât have meant all this. One day she was going to reach her limit, and though itâd kill Ty to lose her, at least heâd finally be able to make good on those threats his body issued whenever he came within two breaths of kissing her. Such as now, for instance.
âDo you want my pickle?â she asked with sickly sweet innocence. âI could toss it out into the snow. That wouldnât be cheating. Youâd still technically be foraging.â
âIâm going to break into your room when youâre showering and flush the toilet on you.â
She grinned, eyes narrowing. âMaybe I should order dessert,â she whispered, and took another bite.
âEvil.â Evil for more than this food flauntingâfor flirting back when Ty knew sheâd never go there with him as long as they were professional partners. Kate put her job above everything, surely far above any attraction she might feel for him. If they ever got their moment, itâd have to come after the show was canceled. On especially long nights, when he and Kate were the only humans for miles around and he lay awake listening to her steady breathing in a dark tent or the back of the van, Ty prayed for bad ratings.
âWhat would you have right now, if you could, Ty?â Kateâs eyes darted to the chalkboard menu behind the bar. âSteak?â she guessed, perusing the fare. âFried chicken and mashed potatoes?â
He offered his best Sean-Connery-as-Bond accent. âDonât toy with me, Moneypenny.â
âSomething not on the menu?â Kate asked with raisedeyebrows, a distinct challenge. Get a drink or two in this girl and she turned into a flirting machine.
Ty rose to the dare she was posing, licking his lips. âSuch asâ¦?â
She leaned in closer, fixing her eyes on his. âI know exactly what you want,â she said. She was only teasing, but Tyâs body responded nonetheless.
âWhat do I want, Katie?â
âOoh, Iâm thinkingâ¦crab,â she concluded. âLegs. With lots of melted butter and new potatoes.â She did know what he liked. She knew him better than she probably even realized, and thatâs what made Tyâs attraction tougher and tougher to write off the longer they worked together. She gave a last wiggle of her eyebrows before she sat up straight again.
âI could fire you, you know.â
âYeah right, Ty. Youâd be lost without me.â She turned to watch the television mounted in the corner. A newscaster was droning about a late-season storm warning, but Ty thought Kate ought to be more concerned with the imminent threat her flirtation was causing. He watched her expression change as she turned to him again.
âYou know, you and I are like every thing except lovers,â she said.
The statement threw Ty for a momentary loop. Hope and lust jockeyed for his attention, warming him like whiskey, from the inside. âYeah. Why? You looking to change