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“Caleb. Come inside.” She shoved the door open and he let her pull him over the threshold. She didn’t let go until she had the door closed behind them.
His eyes traveled around her apartment, taking it in as she slipped out of her shoes and set her purse on the dining table. There wasn’t a ton to see. The space was dominated by a dinette with four chairs and a big cozy couch with a hand-knit throw draped across the back. On one wall stood a bookcase overflowing with Blu-rays and old schoolbooks, and in the middle of the room sat a leather ottoman with a wooden tray that served as a coffee table. There wasn’t even space for a second armchair—something she considered extremely fortunate at the present moment.
She gestured to the wicker mat beside the door where she’d put her flats. “Take off your shoes.”
He obeyed, bending over to untie his scuffed work boots before lining them up carefully next to hers.
“Do you want something to drink? I was going to make some tea, but I’ve also got beer and wine. Or I could make you coffee!” she added. “Wouldn’t that be a treat?”
He straightened and shoved his hands in his back pockets, looking amused. “Tea’s fine.”
“Make yourself comfortable.” She went into the kitchen to put on the kettle. “Spicy chai or orange zinger?”
“Chai.”
She got out two mugs and put a teabag in each. Spicy chai for him and orange zinger for her. “Do you take anything in your tea?”
“Black, please.”
She went to the bathroom while the tea was steeping to do a quick hair and makeup check and apply a fresh coat of deodorant. Just in case.
He was staring at the contents of her bookcase when she came out. “You watch a lot of TV shows,” he said as she dumped the tea bags into the trash.
She carried his mug of chai to him and gazed at the bookcase fondly. “These are my most favorite shows. The ones I like to watch over and over.”
“Why buy it when everything’s on Netflix?”
She blew across the top of her tea to cool it off. “Everything’s not on Netflix. Sometimes they drop a show, and then you can’t watch it when you want to. I like knowing that I can always watch my favorite shows in an emergency.”
His brows drew together in amused incomprehension. “A TV emergency?”
“Yes! When I’ve had a bad day, I like to zone out on the couch and watch something that will make me feel better.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
“All the time.”
She took her tea to the couch and sat down. After a moment’s hesitation he followed, leaving plenty of space between them. She turned toward him and he did the same, mirroring her position. They regarded one another silently as they cradled their tea.
The chai in his mug scented the air with spices. It smelled the way his skin had smelled. The memory of it made her feel warm all over. The heat started low, and spread up through her chest and into her face.
“What?” he said warily.
She sipped her orange zinger. “Nothing.”
“You’re staring at me.”
“You’re staring at me.”
He shook his head. “This is weird, isn’t it? Tell me it’s weird for you too.”
“A little.”
She’d used up all her bold plays getting him here, and she didn’t have a next move. It was one thing to screw up her courage to kiss someone who’d already kissed her once. But now that he was in her apartment, she had no idea what to do next. Was she supposed to seduce him? She wasn’t used to being that girl. She wanted to be that girl, but she didn’t know how.
She’d always relied on men to make the first move. They set the pace and she followed it. But if she let Caleb set the pace, he’d be in Mississippi before they’d made any real progress. Every instinct she had was urging her not to let him get away—not without a taste test, at least.
This was her chance to be the girl who had fun instead of good little Penny. To have a meaningless fling with a hot guy who was about to disappear from her life forever. She wanted this. Not only because he was so, so hot, but because she wanted to prove to herself that she could have hot sex simply for the sake of hot sex. No commitment, no attachment, no feelings.
