Slow Hands

place?”
    “Are we bantering again?”
    “I think we are. Bantering, flirting, exchanging innuendo.”
    “Well then.” She appeared to think about it, tapping the tip of her finger on her cheek. “Hmm. I believe there are still a few Lemonheads and some popcorn…”
    “Or?”
    “Or you could just dine on me.”
    Exactly the kind of dinner he had in mind.
    “But first, we’ve got to clear something up, mister. You haven’t cashed that check I gave you.” She sounded accusing.
    “You peeking in my wallet again?”
    “I do manage a bank, you know.”
    Oh. Right.
    “You’d better not even be thinking of trying to tear it up or hand it back to me at the end of our thirty days.”
    “Maddy, come on, I don’t need your money.”
    “Tough,” she snapped. “We had a deal, so you cash it. Do whatever you want with the money, invest it, pay Jenny’s tuition, give it to charity for all I care. But fair’s fair.” Her lips curved up the tiniest bit. “I’m not a welsher.”
    Ah, now he understood the amusement. He’d used the exact terms when seeking her out at the bank.
    “You’ll do it?”
    He should have expected this, he really should have. If Maddy was genuinely changing, letting her heart open up, she had to be scared to death. The first thing she’d do is try to get things back under control, protect herself, just in case. Personally, he believed they’d gone too far for her to do it—that genie was out of the bottle. She could not stop smiling at him, exchanging warm looks and sexy conversations any more than he could.
    But she could remind them both of why they’d gotten into this. And that was exactly what she was doing.
    “Jake?”
    “Yeah, yeah,” he muttered.
    “You promise?”
    “All right, yes, I promise,” he agreed, knowing that no, he could not tell her the truth yet. Not while she still felt the need to make sure she had an easy way out at the end of their month together, just in case.
    Besides, she’d certainly made no comments about them sticking together beyond that. She hadn’t verbally expressed any genuine feelings for him at all. Which meant she might not quite be ready to continue what they were doing without the stupid “arrangement” giving her the protection something deep in her psyche required her to have.
    It appeared that while it might be good for the soul, confession might not yet be good for his relationship with the woman he was falling in love with.
    So his mouth would stay shut. Even if his heart was wide-open.

10
    T HIS LAST WEEK before Tabitha’s wedding was shaping up to be a crazy one and by Tuesday afternoon, Maddy was already completely exhausted. Not only because she’d had two long, glorious—and sleepless—nights in Jake’s arms, but also because of the typical prewedding hysteria every family experienced.
    Tabby was a mess. The bride had been worrying herself into a frenzy about the weather, the caterer, the vows, the rings. She’d second-guessed the brand of champagne, argued with the wedding planner and was stewing over her honeymoon trousseau. Not to mention, she was starving herself to fit into her size two dress.
    Maddy had worn a size two once. When she was two.
    Still, she didn’t envy her sister one bit right now, and wouldn’t change places with her for the world. Except, perhaps for one thing.
    She did wonder what it might be like to be loved so deeply by a man.
    Her sister’s fiancé must love Tabby madly. It was the only explanation for why he’d put up with the antics of someone so totally unlike himself. Why he’d be drawn to his complete opposite. Love like that sounded so nice.
    Who was she kidding? Being loved like that by a wonderful man sounded utterly amazing. Especially if the man was Jake.
    Stupid . She had no business thinking that way, but the fantasies kept creeping up on her at the oddest times. Especially after she gave in and finally allowed herself to admit—after their conversation in the car Sunday night—that she had changed, as he’d pointed out. He simply didn’t realize how much she’d changed.
    She’d fallen in love with him. Against all her own cautionary advice and better judgment, her walls had dropped and her heart had filled.
    While a big part of her wanted to tell him, another part—the sensible part—had known she couldn’t. Not until their deal was finished, their thirty days up. After that, if Jake stayed, it would be for personal reasons only. She couldn’t use her