Tempting Mr. Wrong (Wrong Man) by Kerri Carpenter Page A

his waist, stirring a pot of boiling water as the mist surrounded his hot, chiseled face. Carly shifted in her seat.
    She checked the clock on the microwave. There was enough time to read through her materials on previous fund-raising campaigns Young Heroes had done and then change into an interview outfit, which she had narrowed down to six options. She began tapping her pen against the counter as she debated the pros and cons of wearing pants versus a skirt.
    “Everything okay over there?” Lance asked.
    “Sure. How’s the, um…” What was he looking up? She was sure he’d told her.
    “Security system research,” he said.
    She gestured at him with her pen before returning to her pen drumming. “Right. How’s that panning out?”
    “Okay. I think I found the best option for this house. Man, Carly, I can’t believe you guys have been living in this big house without an alarm system. I may be going a bit overboard with the one I’m considering but I’d rather you two be safe.”
    “Uh-huh,” she murmured. While most people would choose the skirt, she felt more powerful in her pantsuit.
    “I need to get started on fixing that back fence soon. I considered just reinforcing parts of it but I think I’m going to replace the entire thing. Then I can install some locks as well.”
    Plus, the pantsuit is professional , she thought. But at the same time, it allowed her to have fun with accessories so she could still be herself. “That’s nice.”
    “I’m going to land a spaceship from Mars on the roof later, too. I’m hoping the aliens will do some probing work on both of us.”
    “Great.” Her pen froze mid-tap. “What?” She looked over at Lance. He wore an amused expression.
    “What’s up?” he asked.
    “Nothing’s up.” She didn’t know why she didn’t just tell him about the interview. Maybe she was feeling superstitious. If she said it out loud, it wouldn’t be real. Also, there was no way she could talk about the interview without getting emotional. Young Heroes was more than a nonprofit. It was an organization that helped people, and Carly was passionate about their mission.
    Not everyone could grow up with the three S’s . How could structured, stable, sinfully sexy—or whatever those S’s were—Lance understand what her childhood had really been like?
    Lance placed the laptop on the table and walked into the kitchen. He grabbed the last of the coffee from the pot and faced her. “You’re on another planet. What are you working on?”
    “Oh.” Had he been noticing her? “Going through some research.”
    “Carly, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but you seem really tense.”
    He placed his coffee mug on the counter and leaned toward her, his crisp, clean scent wrapping itself around her, not to mention that he was close. Very close. If she only inched forward, she could give him a playful little nip on the lips. And maybe that would lead to a longer, sultry kiss. Then that would send them up to her bedroom… Her bedroom that currently had interview outfit options scattered everywhere. That wouldn’t work.
    “Want to take a walk before Mya gets back from school?”
    Thank goodness it wasn’t Carly’s week for car pool. Mya’s preschool was only half day, but dropping the other girls off would cut into her interview time.
    “You can still watch Mya this afternoon, right?” she said, ignoring his question.
    “No problem. Where are you going anyway? Hot date?”
    While he’d been smiling when he asked her, Carly couldn’t help but notice that Lance’s forehead crinkled and he looked away.
    “Do you have a date?” he asked.
    “Lance,” she began.
    “Sorry, it’s none of my business.”
    But she wanted it to be some of his business. Carly wasn’t sure what she wanted to say in reply, but it didn’t matter because Lance was already moving toward the other room.
    “I’m going to do some measuring. I gotta order the new windows.”
    She let out a long sigh at