coming back. I tried to keep my distance, but you kept drawing me in. I wanted to hate you, to think you were a mindless, gold-digging woman like the rest I’ve met, but you made me laugh and shamed me at what I do best. I figured I had nothing left to hide from you.”
My eyebrows pinched together as I struggled to come up with something intelligent to say. “Is this one of those keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer kind of things?”
I opened my fingers long enough to see a grin slip across his full mouth, mirthful but serious too. Determined. “I don’t want to be your enemy, Evangeline.”
Aching for something to do other than stand there like an idiot, I dug the toe of my shoe into the carpet. “Then what do you want?”
Silence for a moment. “I think you know what I want us to be.”
A nervous giggle burst out of me. “Neighboring inmates in the local psychward?”
He boomed out a laugh, filling my insides with dancing butterflies.
Again, I peeked through my fingers, unable to help myself. He stood there grinning, held the towel in his hand and stared at me with penetrating green eyes. My hand fell away, heat breaking across my skin as my gaze devoured him from head to toe and all of the delicious bits in between. The definition of his muscular arms caught my attention. Full, defined. He must have worked out hours per day. Wouldn’t I like to be a little fly on the wall to see that? I followed the spectacular contours of his body. A thin strip of dark hair started just above his bellybutton and drew my focus down to its eye-popping conclusion. I shook myself and turned, gathered my chin from the floor and considered checking it for drool.
“Can you please put some clothes on?” I focused on the stones of the fireplace surround so my gaze wouldn’t wander back to him. “And stop staring at me like that. I can’t think when you do that.”
Hell. Why did I have to say that out loud? Christ.
“You’re angry with me. Don’t you like the roses?” His voice held uncertainty. “I thought women enjoyed flowers.”
I turned, staring at his feet, and held the card out for him to see. “What does this mean, ‘you like what you see?’”
He padded closer, his footsteps on the hardwood barely audible. “You said when I looked at you I could see your soul. I wanted you to know that I like what I see.”
A surge of tingles spread through my chest. His words stole my ability to breathe, and I couldn’t sort a coherent thought out of the whirlwind in my head.
My trembling worsened. I watched the water dripping down his legs. “So—the roses—you weren’t trying to humiliate me?”
Wrapping the towel around his waist, he said, “No, of course not.” His voice rose in volume, ripe with hurt. “I searched the city for that breed of flower. They’re called fire and ice, symbolic of our—I’ll call it chemistry.”
I met his stare, his damp curls and bare skin melting me into my sensible shoes. “That’s actually … kind of sweet.” I closed my eyes for a moment. “Please don’t do it again, though. Cam is about to have an aneurism over the mess.”
“Are you free Friday evening?”
I snorted, slapping my thigh like a moron. “I’m not sure. My social calendar is pretty full.”
“Have dinner with me. I’ll cook.”
I swallowed, chuckled, but choked on it when I realized he wasn’t joking. “You mean like a date? You and I?” My finger pointed back and forth between us.
His chin quirked, but it didn’t contain his amusement. “Your powers of observation are frightening.”
“Hardy-har-har.” I rolled my eyes, a mutinous smile creeping across my lips. “I-I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. I don’t know how to trust you after you’ve been such a dick, or myself for that matter, especially when you’re in the buff.” My palm smacked against my forehead. Fuck . “I think your nakedness is jamming my brain-to-mouth filter.”
Another deep laugh
My eyebrows pinched together as I struggled to come up with something intelligent to say. “Is this one of those keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer kind of things?”
I opened my fingers long enough to see a grin slip across his full mouth, mirthful but serious too. Determined. “I don’t want to be your enemy, Evangeline.”
Aching for something to do other than stand there like an idiot, I dug the toe of my shoe into the carpet. “Then what do you want?”
Silence for a moment. “I think you know what I want us to be.”
A nervous giggle burst out of me. “Neighboring inmates in the local psychward?”
He boomed out a laugh, filling my insides with dancing butterflies.
Again, I peeked through my fingers, unable to help myself. He stood there grinning, held the towel in his hand and stared at me with penetrating green eyes. My hand fell away, heat breaking across my skin as my gaze devoured him from head to toe and all of the delicious bits in between. The definition of his muscular arms caught my attention. Full, defined. He must have worked out hours per day. Wouldn’t I like to be a little fly on the wall to see that? I followed the spectacular contours of his body. A thin strip of dark hair started just above his bellybutton and drew my focus down to its eye-popping conclusion. I shook myself and turned, gathered my chin from the floor and considered checking it for drool.
“Can you please put some clothes on?” I focused on the stones of the fireplace surround so my gaze wouldn’t wander back to him. “And stop staring at me like that. I can’t think when you do that.”
Hell. Why did I have to say that out loud? Christ.
“You’re angry with me. Don’t you like the roses?” His voice held uncertainty. “I thought women enjoyed flowers.”
I turned, staring at his feet, and held the card out for him to see. “What does this mean, ‘you like what you see?’”
He padded closer, his footsteps on the hardwood barely audible. “You said when I looked at you I could see your soul. I wanted you to know that I like what I see.”
A surge of tingles spread through my chest. His words stole my ability to breathe, and I couldn’t sort a coherent thought out of the whirlwind in my head.
My trembling worsened. I watched the water dripping down his legs. “So—the roses—you weren’t trying to humiliate me?”
Wrapping the towel around his waist, he said, “No, of course not.” His voice rose in volume, ripe with hurt. “I searched the city for that breed of flower. They’re called fire and ice, symbolic of our—I’ll call it chemistry.”
I met his stare, his damp curls and bare skin melting me into my sensible shoes. “That’s actually … kind of sweet.” I closed my eyes for a moment. “Please don’t do it again, though. Cam is about to have an aneurism over the mess.”
“Are you free Friday evening?”
I snorted, slapping my thigh like a moron. “I’m not sure. My social calendar is pretty full.”
“Have dinner with me. I’ll cook.”
I swallowed, chuckled, but choked on it when I realized he wasn’t joking. “You mean like a date? You and I?” My finger pointed back and forth between us.
His chin quirked, but it didn’t contain his amusement. “Your powers of observation are frightening.”
“Hardy-har-har.” I rolled my eyes, a mutinous smile creeping across my lips. “I-I’m not sure that’s such a good idea. I don’t know how to trust you after you’ve been such a dick, or myself for that matter, especially when you’re in the buff.” My palm smacked against my forehead. Fuck . “I think your nakedness is jamming my brain-to-mouth filter.”
Another deep laugh
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