She nodded. “I don’t doubt it. Florists can be notoriously hard to deal with.”

“Lucky for me I like a challenge.”

Encouraged by the fact that she didn’t pull her hand away, he lightly brushed his fingers against hers, exploring their softness. Her hands were small but capable-looking, which they’d have to be for her to have passed the grueling firefighter tests. Clearly, on top of having an incredible shape, she was in good physical condition.

“So, continue your story,” he urged, scooting closer. He snagged her other hand and slowly played with her fingers. “How did you get from returning home to Santa Barbara to owning a flower shop fifty miles away in Santa Rey?”

“My family owns the largest nursery in Santa Barbara, so I grew up learning the business.”

Damn, she had the softest hands he’d ever touched. He slowly traced the length of each of her fingers with his fingertips. “You didn’t want to work at your family’s place?”

“I did. But after a few years I wanted to be my own boss. Create something that was mine. Plus, I needed to put some distance between myself and my loving but smothering family.” She looked down at their touching hands then back at him. “That’s, um, really distracting.”

He brushed the pad of his thumb over the velvety skin of her inner wrist. “Distracting in a good way?”

“Distracting in an I-can’t-remember-what-we-were-talking-about way.”

“That’s a good way. You were telling me how much you like me.”

Amusement glittered in her eyes. “Was I?”

“Yup. And you were about to tell me how it’s possible that a gorgeous, intelligent woman like you isn’t taken.”

“What makes you think I’m intelligent?”

“I’m a very good judge of character.” He smiled. “Besides, the fact that you accepted my invitation proves it.”

She rolled her eyes, but then smiled. “You know I didn’t want to.”

He turned one of her hands over and lightly traced the lines on her palm. “Yeah, I got that. I’m hoping you’re not sorry.”

“Not yet. But the night’s still young.” Her eyes seemed to darken. “That feels really…hmm…nice.”

The smoky tone of her voice had him shifting in his chair. Damn. Just her voice turned him on. What would happen if she touched him? Stupid question. He knew damn well what would happen. He’d go up in flames.

She slowly spread her fingers wider, a gesture that shouldn’t have struck him as sexy as it did. But then, he found everything about her sexy and had since minute one.

“So, why aren’t you taken?” he asked, continuing to caress her fingers.

“Actually, I am-by my business. It requires all my time and attention. Now, and for the foreseeable future.”

Obviously a not-very-subtle warning that she didn’t have time for him. A warning he was determined to ignore, and convince her to ignore, as well. “Okay, I’ll rephrase. How is it possible that an intelligent woman who looks like you, who smells as good as you do, whose skin is as soft as yours, doesn’t have a boyfriend?”

“After I discovered my last boyfriend required a dictionary, I gave him the heave-ho and haven’t felt inclined to replace him.”

“Dictionary?”

“Yes. He didn’t know the definition of some pretty basic words. Like honesty. And integrity.” She leaned a bit closer and lowered her voice as if imparting a great secret. “He thought monogamy was a type of wood.”

Brad could only shake his head. “What kind of idiot would cheat on you?”

She flashed him a smile, one which raised his temperature several degrees. “Compliment noted-thank you.”

“Compliment sincerely given-you’re welcome. How long ago since you heaved him?”

“Six months. What about you? How is it possible that an intelligent man who looks like you doesn’t have a girlfriend?”

“Sadly, my last girlfriend couldn’t even spell monogamy, let alone mistake it for a type of wood. Like you, I gave her the heave-ho and haven’t felt inclined to replace her.”

“Not to repeat your words verbatim, but what kind of idiot would cheat on you?”

“Not to repeat your words verbatim, but compliment noted-thank you. I’m lucky I came out of it as unscathed as I did. I wasn’t heartbroken. Just royally pissed off. I’d considered the guy a friend.”

She winced. “Ouch. At least my dirtbag ex didn’t cheat with anyone I knew…” Her words trailed off and her gaze dipped to the table where he was lightly massaging her fingers, one at a time.

“That feels…ahhhh…incredible, especially after putting together dozens of arrangements today.” When she looked at him again, her eyes were half-closed. She made a low, sexy sound of approval that had him shifting against the swelling going on behind his pants’ zipper.

“So why haven’t you replaced your girlfriend?” she asked. “Obviously you don’t lack opportunity. Firefighters attract women like bees to honey, and this town and Ocean Harbor Beach are both littered with young, gorgeous women, who wear bikinis most of the time. You can’t walk two feet without bumping into a dozen of them.”

“Exactly. And after a while, they became…interchangeable. They can’t seem to talk about anything other than clothes, their drama-filled lives, their girlfriends and former boyfriends and celebrities. I think the operative word you used is young. When I was in my twenties, that was fine, but since hitting thirty…my tastes have changed. So I guess it’s actually more accurate to say that I hadn’t met anyone in a long time who really interested me.” He lifted her hand and with his gaze steady on hers, pressed a kiss against the warm palm he’d been caressing. “Until three months ago. When I walked into Blooming Pails.”

TONI WATCHED heat flare in Brad’s eyes as he pressed another kiss against her palm, liquefying her insides. Whoa. His mouth felt reeeally good against her skin. And looked reeeally good there, too. And…oh, God, had he just touched her palm with his tongue?

Oooh, yes. He had. Mama mia. Good thing she was sitting down, because that single tongue flick left her legs feeling like melted wax. It left her spine feeling that way, too. So much so that she’d like to lie down. With Brad. Right now.

He brushed his lips against her inner wrist and she actually felt her eyes glaze over. When the hell had that little bit of skin become so sensitive? And who had run the electric circuit from her wrist straight to her nipples-which were now hard and aching? Clearly her six-months-long sexless state had screwed up her internal wiring.

His gaze dipped and he stilled at what she assumed was the sight of her erect nipples pressing against the velvet of her dress. When he raised his gaze back to hers, his eyes all but breathed smoke. “Toni,” he said softly.

Just the way he said her name rippled a heated shiver down her spine. Good grief, how had she resisted this man for three months? She was either insane or deserved a medal of fortitude. How could she hope to resist him tonight?

You can’t, her inner voice flatly informed her.

Her inner voice was right.

Sure, she could try to lie to herself, but what was the point? She might as well face it. The guy was hot, sexy, gorgeous, funny, romantic, smart and totally into her. He oozed sex appeal and sex sounded so incredibly…appealing. In a word, he was irresistible.

Exactly, agreed her triumphant inner voice. So stop trying to resist!

Sex on a first date wasn’t normally her style, but hey-they’d agreed this wasn’t a date. It was just one little dinner. One little dinner that would lead to one little bout of sex. One little dinner during which it was now time to turn the tables and make him suffer for a while. Heh, heh, heh.

He appeared about to say something else, but just then the waiter appeared bearing their salads. After pressing another quick kiss to her palm, Brad released her hand and Toni curled her fingers inward to keep the warmth of his mouth against her skin. After topping off their wineglasses, the waiter faded away. She reached for her fork and speared a bit of radicchio, watching him do the same. She waited until Brad had taken a bite then slipped her foot from her shoe.