“I love what I do, but I’ve been pursuing my goals so long that I haven’t left much time for anything else. Including friends. It’s one of the only things I regret about being so focused on work.”

“Well, you’re changing that now.” He reached across the table and offered his hand.

Penny stared at his outstretched hand for a moment. He watched her, his dark eyes never leaving her face. Finally, she clasped his hand atop the table.

“I’m definitely changing that now.”

CHAPTER TEN

THAT WEEKEND, MATT decided to stay in town. Mara had called and they’d talked for a long time. It was difficult to take a step back and let her solve her own problems, but he was determined to do it. She and Trent were working it out in their own time and nothing he could do would hasten the process.

It was time for him to focus on getting the things he wanted. Penny was at the top of the list. He couldn’t figure out why he was so fascinated by her, but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Wondering what she was doing. Who she was doing it with…

Eli had a wraparound couch and a pretty impressive sound system, so he’d suggested they do a movie marathon. Considering that her last visit had been a train wreck, Matt had been hesitant to suggest that they stay in for the night.

They’d been eating dinner together after she got off work each day, but they’d always gone home separately afterward. This would be the first time they were really alone together since the kiss. That was how he thought of it.

The kiss.

Matt opened the door around six o’clock that evening to see Penny standing on the step holding a handful of movies and a grocery bag.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I brought a few of my favorites.” She came in and slipped out of her coat. He hung it on one of the pegs by the door.

“But I also brought ice cream.” She held up the grocery bag.

“I hope it doesn’t have nuts.” He rummaged through the bag to find one Rocky Road flavor and one that was plain chocolate and plain vanilla. “You remembered?” Matt looked up in surprise.

Penny rolled her eyes. “You used to make such a fuss as a kid whenever we got ice cream cones, how could I forget? You never wanted anything but plain flavors. Personally I want as much junk in mine as possible. Chocolate fudge, sprinkles, marshmallows, peanuts. Bring it all on!”

She sucked on the tip of her finger playfully and then took the ice cream into the kitchen. Matt followed a few steps behind, trying to give his overworked libido a chance to cool down.

He’d never been this desperate for a woman, and he hadn’t even seen her naked yet. Thousands of fantasies bombarded him every night, but the scary part was he wasn’t just fantasizing about the abundant curves she kept hidden under her lab coat. He kept replaying the moment when she’d run her fingers over his hair and told him the hard part was over. She’d looked at him so tenderly then. He wanted to know what it was like to have a woman like her worrying about him. Waiting for him.

Loving him.

His thoughts came to a screeching halt. It was hard enough to get her to take him seriously as a potential friend. There was no way she’d consider him for anything serious. Not that he was ready for serious. Was he? When had he gone from thinking of this as a little fun and games to potentially falling in love?

He walked into the kitchen and stopped short at the sight of Penny wiping down the counters.

“Here, let me do that.” Matt placed his hand over hers on the sponge, secretly gratified when she sucked in a sudden, shocked breath. He wiped the counter quickly and put the sponge back on the sink.

“It’s nothing. I just spilled a little ice cream.” She smiled brightly and picked up one of the ice cream containers.  The ice cream was so thick it took her several tries before she was able to dig out a scoop and stick it in her mouth.

“Are you sure you don’t want any of my mixed up, totally delicious ice cream?” She teased him, scooping up another bite and waving it in front of his face. Then she popped it in her mouth, her lashes lowering as she savored the taste.

A second later her eyes opened and she stilled. Matt gripped the edge of the counter as he leaned closer. “I need you to do me a favor, Penelope.”

She gulped. “Sure. What is it?”

He looked down at the ice cream, then leaned a little closer. Her pupils dilated as he got closer still, until their mouths were only a breath apart. Her blue eyes went soft. “Let me choose the first movie.” Then he pushed back and walked into the living room.

If he was going to be horny as hell and suffering the whole time, he might as well give her something to think about, too.

The living room couch was nice and deep, so Matt put on the movie and then settled himself into the corner. Penny poked her head in from the kitchen. “You want ice cream now?”

He nodded. She came over and sat next to him on the couch and handed him the pint of ice cream and a spoon. “Where’s yours?” he asked.

She didn’t look at him as she replied, “I already had a few spoonfuls of mine, so I figured I’d share some of yours.”

Matt’s body tightened when she looked up at him and then snuggled against his side. It was going to be really hard to keep his “hands-off” promise when she was rubbing up against his chest like that. After a few more minutes, she finally settled down and they watched the first movie. He’d chosen an action flick that he hadn’t seen yet, hoping it would force him to pay attention. Instead, he spent half the movie staring down at the top of Penny’s head. At one point he was sure she fell asleep because her hand dropped into his lap and she didn’t move it. He’d finally picked up her hand and shifted it to his thigh.