“Is that one of the lesser-known ‘Bro Code’ rules?” she teased.
“Call it what you want, it’s just how I operate.”
“You’re playing into that firefighter-hero stereotype pretty hard,” she said with a mischievous smile, enjoying their banter. “I wonder if there’s a bad boy lurking underneath that polished exterior.”
He chuckled, the sound tickling her senses. “You have no idea.”
Was she completely wicked that she suddenly had a desperate hunger to find out just how bad Layton could be? Probably. Particularly when she’d made a pact with herself to keep on the straight and narrow until she had her master’s. It was a good plan at the time. Now? Seemed stupid as hell.
“What would you say if I told you I was attracted to you?”
He held his easy smile, but something in his gaze changed and her body tingled with awareness. “Then I’d say that you’d better keep that on lockdown because things could get awkward.”
She could call his bluff. Alexis knew when a guy was into her. Layton was throwing off signals that a person would have to be blind not to see, but she felt a bit like a predator chasing after a poor doomed gazelle. He was plainly telling her it wasn’t going to happen and she respected that—to a point—but his gaze was also throwing sparks that were bound to catch fire at some point.
Alexis sighed dramatically, leaning casually against the sofa, idly gazing at her injured foot. “Well, the truth of the matter is the fact that I want to give you a tongue bath must mean that somewhere, deep down, you’re defective.”
He startled with a laugh. “I think you just insulted me, but for the life of me all I can think of is that tongue bath.”
“See? It’s hopeless. Let’s be honest, we’re both adults and we’re both attracted to one another. We also both know that we shouldn’t act upon the dirty thoughts in our heads. So...it’s probably best that you go home before something terribly unfortunate happens between us.”
“Unfortunate?”
“Yeah, like all our clothes flying off and landing on the floor.”
He swallowed and she privately delighted in the way the thought made him stutter a little. “Are you always this blunt?”
“Pretty much. My mom says I’ve always suffered from a lack of tact, but my dad says I don’t seem to suffer from it at all.”
Layton laughed with a slight twinkle in his eye that she found highly alluring. “Okay, well, not leaving. I made a promise to Erik that I’d stick around and make sure you stayed off that foot, so you’re just going to have to deal with my company.”
Alexis held his gaze for a moment then shrugged. “Okay, but I can’t be held responsible for what may happen between us.”
“Nothing is going to happen,” he said with amused laughter. “You don’t quit, do you? You’re like a dog with a bone.”
Alexis shrugged. “We’ll see.”
“How about this? You pick the movie and I’ll scramble up some eggs and bacon for breakfast.”
She perked up. The only thing capable of jarring her one-track mind was the introduction of her second favorite distraction: food. “You can cook?”
“A necessary skill when you live with a bunch of other guys several days out of the week. Yes, I can cook. Any requests?”
Oh, how could she not take him up on that offer? She hated to cook but she loved to eat. “A Denver omelet would be fab,” she admitted. “I think we have everything you need in the fridge.”
“Denver omelet coming up,” Layton said, going to the kitchen. “And while I’m making breakfast you can throw out movie ideas.”
On the surface, that sounded well and good, but Alexis didn’t want to sit around the house all day. She spent so much of her time studying that she needed a physical outlet. Her gaze drifted to the window where soft snowflakes fell lazily from the sky. The storm hadn’t hit yet. There was probably just enough time to get the lights up before the snow really started coming down.
Maybe she could convince Layton to help her string the lights? But how to do it was the question.
She wasn’t above using her charm to get what she wanted and she had a feeling Layton wouldn’t mind fresh air...once he realized that spending too much time cuddled up on the sofa wasn’t a good idea, particularly if he was determined to keep things Disney-rated.
Before too long, Layton returned with two plates of omelets and toast, and Alexis’s opinion of her brother’s friend went up a notch.
“Did you pick out a movie?”
“No, I did something better,” she said around a bite of omelet. “Oh, that’s good. You’re a handy guy to have around. Cute, built like a Roman god and can cook? Okay, just level with me, what’s your hidden defect?”
“I have a weakness for pretty, sass-mouthed women,” he admitted wryly as he shoveled in his food.
“How much of a weakness?” she asked, curious.
Layton leveled a wry look her way. “Enough of one. Eat your breakfast.”
“So bossy.”
“Has anyone ever successfully told you what to do?”
She affected a serious expression. “My dad.” But she couldn’t keep a straight face for long, laughing as she said, “But you’re not my dad so don’t even try to boss me around.”
“Duly noted.” He gestured to her plate. “Good?”
“Fan-freaking-tastic,” Alexis openly admitted with glee. “You’re quite a catch. So tell me, Layton, do you chase the ladies or do the ladies chase you?”
Layton gave her a sideways grin that showcased a nice row of white, even teeth. The man could audition for a toothpaste commercial without an ounce of reservation. “I’ve chased my share, but I’ve been chased, too.”
“It’s all about the chase though, isn’t it? Once you’ve gotten what you want...where’s the mystery? Where’s the thrill?” She couldn’t help a twist of hidden bitterness to shape her words. Maybe she was still smarting from her last boyfriend. He’d been all about the chase, too.
But Layton frowned, shaking his head. “Some guys are like that. I’m not.”
Alexis barked a laugh, not believing him for a second. “You don’t have to put on an act for me. I know guys are all about getting laid.”
“When I’m with a girl, I only have eyes for her,” he said with such seriousness that she paused for a moment, thrown off track. How could a man who looked like Layton be a one-woman kind of guy? She didn’t buy it. “Seriously?”
He shrugged as if he didn’t care if she believed him or not. “The chase is fun, don’t get me wrong, but the real good stuff? That happens after you get to know each other. Never underestimate the value of being able to be yourself with your partner.”
“Whoa there, Dr. Phil,” Alexis joked, a little uncomfortable with how quickly things had gotten serious. “I was just kidding.”
But she wasn’t entirely. Riker had screwed up her internal sensor so badly she wasn’t sure it worked any longer and she didn’t trust her own judgment. Sure, Layton seemed like a good guy, but didn’t they all in the beginning? It was better to keep things superficial than risk getting hurt later. She’d happily step over the line and break her own rule for the opportunity for some hot blow-your-mind sex, but that’s where it stopped.
“For what it’s worth, you don’t have to try to convince me that you’re not a player. I don’t really care