Eli put down his fork and grabbed her chair, dragging her closer. Kay squeaked at the sudden movement, then again when he put a gentle but firm finger under her chin. “Don’t do that. I don’t like it.”

“Do what? I was just joking.” She met his eyes, surprised at the barely concealed anger on his face.

“No, that’s not joking. That’s putting yourself down. My cousin Laura used to get teased a lot when we were kids. They called her awful names. One of them taped a picture of Miss Piggy over the mirror in her locker so it was the first thing she saw that morning. If she was having dinner with us, would you make that joke about her?”

Kay sank down in her chair, his gruff tone making her feel about two feet tall. She gulped and pushed the remaining scraps of food on her plate around with her fork. “Of course not.”

He leaned closer. “Then don’t say it about yourself.”

Kay looked up at him then and nodded. “It’s funny how it’s so much easier to be nice to others than it is to be nice to yourself.”

“I’ll help you remember,” he stated.

She had no doubt he meant every word. Thinking of herself negatively was second nature, but she’d have to make an effort to watch what she said around Eli.

He seemed to sense her discomfort because he forced a lighter tone when he said, “If I can make Walter Herman apologize to Laura, then I think I can handle you.”

“How did you do that?”

“My fist in his face a few times took care of that problem.” He held up his closed fist and shook it comically.

She giggled. “I definitely don’t want that.”

He started when she wrapped her fingers around his wrist. She rubbed the vein that stood out on the back of his hand, stroking over it a few times and trying to force it down. Now that she was so close, she could see that he had prominent veins on his arms, too.

Kay gulped. She wasn’t used to seeing men with this much muscle up close. He looked like those guys on the fitness magazines. She pulled the edge of her sweater down to cover her belly and thighs. Eli’s eyes narrowed at the action, then zeroed in on her neckline. She glanced down and saw that her tugging was exposing a shocking amount of cleavage.

“Oh, I should clean up.” She popped up and started stacking their plates and the spare plate she’d used to hold bread. Eli stood too, silently helping her clear their drinking glasses and the silverware. They worked side by side, loading the dishwasher and wiping down the counters until finally the kitchen was clean.

“Where do you keep these cups?” Kay turned to Eli.

He turned around at the same time and they ended up face-to-face. She sucked in a breath as his lips brushed her forehead. They both froze, shocked into stillness at the sudden intimacy. Her body instantly warmed, all her nerves suddenly hypersensitive. A heavy fullness settled in her breasts, her nipples tightening almost to the point of pain. If he moved any closer or brushed up against her, she’d go up in flames. Or melt into a puddle.

“The universe is conspiring against me,” Eli whispered.

Kay smiled, inordinately pleased at the idea of tormenting him. Why should he get off easy? She was walking around as a mass of shivery, fluttery hormones whenever he was near. It was vindicating to her feminine pride to see that he was struggling too. Although it would be so much more satisfying if neither of them had to struggle. If they could just…

Give. In.

Kay leaned forward slightly and sucked in a long, slow breath as she brushed up against him. He made a sound, a low growl in the back of his throat that made her panties go instantly damp.

“I’m going to go shower. And pray the water is cold enough,” he muttered. “Good night, Kay.”

“Good night, Eli.” She didn’t look at him as she said it. If she looked at him, she wasn’t sure if she’d be able to keep it together. One look at that fierce face and she might decide she didn’t give a crap about pride and beg him to put her out of her misery.

Or at the very least to give her another taste of what she was missing.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE NEXT DAY, Kay was in the kitchen cleaning up after breakfast when Eli found her. He’d changed into sweatpants and a tight muscle tee. His arms flexed against the thin fabric, straining the edges until they looked like they’d cry out for mercy. Kay almost dropped the dish towel she was holding. Heat swept through her as she tried desperately to look anywhere but at him. No one needed that kind of muscle. He was like an action figure come to life.

“I’m going to ask Tank to stay with you for a while. I really want to get a workout in.”

Kay nodded. That made sense. A body like his required maintenance. And worship. She blew out a breath.

“Could I come with you? I’d love to get some exercise too. I can’t do all the stuff you do, I’m sure, but maybe they have yoga. Or dance classes.”

Eli looked surprised. “They do. They also have a daycare, so we could bring the baby. They give you a wristband that will vibrate if you need to come back to the nursery.”

“That’s pretty handy.”

“I know.” Eli shrugged. “It’s one of the things I recommended they do when I redesigned their security system last year.”

Kay felt a burst of pride. “Well, I feel completely safe taking Hope there, then.”

His eyes flashed at her words. “Okay, meet me back here when you’re changed and ready to go.”