After a while, they’d stopped communicating altogether.

That had been the beginning of the end for her marriage.

He put the car in reverse and backed down the driveway. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. If you want something, Amelia, just ask for it. I’ll never jump down your throat about it.”

“Duly noted.”

They drove for a while in silence, then she looked over at him and said, “I need a couple more stainless steel sauté pans for the restaurant.”

When they reached a red light, he glanced her way and arched a brow. “Taking that opening to hit me up for some inventory, huh?”

She gave him her sweetest smile. “Well, you told me to ask.”

He laughed. “Anything you want, you can have.”

“Anything?”

“Within reason.”

“Oh, now you’re putting conditions on it.”

“Hey, I can’t have you out buying a new stove or anything.”

She frowned. “You put a brand-new stove in when you remodeled the restaurant before you opened. Why would I want a new stove?”

“I was joking.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“You need to lighten up, Amelia. Not everything between you and me has to be so damn serious all the time.”

“I’ll make a note of that.”

She was still so wrapped up in what had happened between them earlier that she’d totally missed that bit of humor.

He was right. She did need to relax. The problem was, she’d been tense ever since that moment in Tara and Mick’s kitchen.

Sexual tension.

A good orgasm would cure that. She made a mental note to take care of that as soon as she got home.

Great. Now she was stuck in the car with Flynn and thinking about sex and orgasms.

She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry as she thought about how it had felt when he’d touched her, the way he’d looked at her with such . . . intensity.

She bet he fucked that way, too. He seemed like the kind of man who was all-in on everything he did. She could already imagine him giving his full attention to a woman, both with his hands and his mouth, and then later, with his cock.

Suddenly overwhelmed with heat and a quivering sensation, she blew out a breath.

“Everything okay over there?” he asked.

“Fine. I’m fine.”

“You sure? I can pull over if you need a drink or you need to pee or something.”

It was definitely more of the “or something” variety, and she didn’t think having an orgasm at a nearby convenience store sounded all that . . . convenient.

“I’m sure.” This ride home was interminable. She needed to get behind closed doors and take care of this problem. Once she had a tension release, she’d be her normal self again.

Or, at least, she needed to get far away from Flynn.

When they finally drove up her street, she almost exhaled in relief. He pulled up to the curb and it was all she could do not to leap out. But then he parked and shut off the engine. She shot him a glare.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to walk you to your door.”

“That is not necessary, Flynn.”

But he was already out the door and on his way over to her side.

Dammit.

He opened her car door, so she had no choice but to step out and allow him to accompany her to her front door.

She turned around to face him. “Okay, well, thanks.”

He stood there, waiting.

She rolled her eyes and fumbled in her purse for her keys. When she found them, she unlocked her door and opened it.

“I’m fine now. Thanks for driving me home.”

“You should invite me in for coffee. Or something.”

She knew exactly what that something was, and if she let him put one foot inside that door she’d climb him like a sex-starved monkey. And despite all the reasons that idea sounded really good at the moment, there were a lot more really bad reasons.

Wasn’t going to happen.

“That’s not a good idea.”

He arched a brow. “Why not?”

“You know why not.”

“I think you’re tempted by me.”

She laughed. “I am not. Nothing about you tempts me.”

He picked up her hand and that shock of awareness zipped through her again.

“You sure about that?” He covered her hand with his other one.

Warmth enveloped her, and everything within her wanted to combust. She wasn’t sure about anything right now. “Absolutely.”

He leaned over and she braced herself for the onslaught, for the explosion of sensations.

But he kissed her cheek. “Good night, Amelia.”

As he walked away and got back in the SUV, she waited, breath held, until he drove off. She exhaled and went inside, closed the door and locked it. As she leaned against the door with her eyes closed, she realized she’d never been more disappointed in her life about a man leaving her at the front door.

Which was exactly what she’d wanted. She’d wanted him to leave her alone.

So now she was alone. And damned disappointed about it.

She pushed off the door and went into the kitchen, laying her purse on the island and shrugging out of her sweater.

“You’re a confused mass of contradictions, Amelia,” she muttered as she made her way into the bedroom. “And you have no idea what you really want.”

She turned on the light in the bathroom and laid her palms against the counter, glaring at herself in the mirror.