“He was such a nice guy.” Legs dangling over the edge of the kitchen counter, Lissa lay back against the white and blue Formica and pouted at the water-stained ceiling. Thad had been gone more than an hour and she still couldn’t stop moping over his parting words. “All he cared about was my pleasure, Sammy. Just me. That has never happened before.”

      “I always put your pleasure first when we were an item, so I’ll assume present company doesn’t count. As for lover boy, don’t you worry, honey, he’ll be here Monday morning wearing nothing but a tool belt and that suck-u-licious smile.”

      She laughed. “You wish.” Sobering, she admitted, “So do I.” But the odds were next to zilch.

      Thad had put her needs first for a short while, but his primary focus was on work. It proved what a nice guy he was, to tell her the truth of his priorities instead of dragging her into a relationship the way so many past jerks had done, Sam non inclusive. True to his word, Sam had always put her first, but that was years ago, back before he realized men were more his style.

      As if to contradict the thought, Sam moved between her thighs. He bunched her ankle-length skirt in his hands, lifting the gauzy green material up and away from her legs and planting a wet kiss on her inner thigh. Lissa shot to a sitting position with the unexpected move and the flutter of arousal that accompanied it.

      He grinned. “Sean’s not expecting me for another half hour. Would a friendly kitty lick cheer you up?”

      “Probably. But I don’t have the time for it. I have another appointment with the Sugar Shack.” Liar. She had plenty of time before the meeting and, since she rarely worked more than a few hours on Saturday, had no plans to spend it in her basement office.

      So why was she turning Sam down? He was a god with his tongue. Thad had been just as gifted, but then Thad wasn’t here, offering up his oral services.

      Sam slapped her thigh. “You’re a terrible liar, Liss.”

      She used to get wet from his love slaps. Even when he’d done it teasingly the last few years, she’d enjoyed a little buzz of sensation. Today, his playful swat made her wish it was Thad’s powerful body sandwiched between her thighs.

      Easing Sam aside, she pushed off from the countertop and let the skirt fall down around her legs. “I do have an appointment.”

      “Not for another hour, when the candy store shuts down for the night. I heard the message on the answering machine this morning.”

      “Oh.” She should have known better than to attempt to lie to him. She just didn’t want his paranoia striking and making him say something ridiculous, like suggesting she’d gone and set her heart on Thad being the one to finally put her front and center. Not that the suggestion would have been so ridiculous, considering that was exactly what Lissa had done.

      Really, who could blame her for getting her hopes up? He’d seemed so perfect: hard, bad-boy outer shell with a soft, creamy, nice-guy filling.

      “You know the real reason so many nice guys finish last?”

      She was sick of the question, but answering it was preferable to thinking about Thad’s creamy filling and bemoaning the fact she’d never gotten to taste it. “So their leading ladies can come in first.”

      “The other reason,” Sam said seriously.

      She frowned. “I didn’t know there was another one.”

      “It’s because they’re afraid to put themselves out there. Sounds to me like you caught Thad on a naughty nice-guy day, which was just fine until his head cleared enough to consider his behavior. He probably felt guilty as hell over hopping into bed with you so quick and came up with the first excuse he could to avoid falling to temptation a second time.”

      Lissa’s heart beat faster. Was he suggesting there was still a chance of her being Thad’s number one, assuming his personality measured up to his dynamite body? “You think work isn’t his first priority?”

      “Could be it is. Or it could be he’s intimidated by his lust for you. He’s going to be here next week, working on the roof. If you really want a chance with him, use the time to get to know him with your clothes on.”

      “I can do that.” How hard could it be to forget the rigorously sculpted torso hiding beneath his shirt? Her sex tingled as the vision of her hands running over his muscled, suntanned chest flashed through her mind. Maybe it would be a little difficult. “Just in case things don’t work out, the kitty lick offer will still be good, right?”

      Sam gave the laugh that said she was being her shameless self again. “Give me a few hours advance notice and I’ll have my tongue primed and ready.”