Mackenzie feathered a single fingertip over his lips and laughed. Oh, that smile was charming, sexy, and all Hunter. It was also playful and soft. So soft she ran a finger over his upper lip, then his lower, loving their velvety texture.
“Mackenzie.” Hunter’s mouth moved under her touch, and a feeling so simple and wholly erotic shot through her, from her fingertips all the way to her toes.
Startled by how strong the attraction still was, she pulled her hands back. “Thank you,” she said. “Most people find it awkward, like their personal space is being invaded.”
“I liked it.”
So had she. Too much, in fact. “How did you get in?”
“I left the back door unlocked when I went out to go get coffee.”
When he left?Mackenzie vaguely remembered him driving her home and walking her to her room. But she thought he’d gone to his place. Only Hunter wasn’t the kind to leave the back door unlocked until morning.
“You stayed here?”
“On the couch with your dog glaring at me all night.”
“He was probably trying to tell you that camping out on a drunk girl’s couch is a huge invasion of privacy,” she said, blaming the warm pit in her belly on irritation.
“I call it being resourceful,” he said, completely unfazed. “My intentions weren’t to scare you.”
“Well, that clears things up.” She angled her body toward the front entryway, because his tone implied that he had no intentions of leaving anytime soon. “You can apologize as you let yourself out. I have a long day ahead of me.”
“Which is why I brought fresh-pressed coffee. I figured after last night you could use some caffeine. And maybe a doughnut. They were out of chocolate, so I got powdered sugar.”
He was playing dirty.
“I can make my own coffee.” Ignoring her kryptonite, she carefully walked to the cupboard and pulled out another mug.
“Yeah, but you get the prepackaged stuff. It tastes like shit.”
“It does not.” She set a second mug on the counter and made a mental note to call Arthur to help her clean up the floor. But first she had to get rid of Hunter before he asked her to touch something else.
“Only because you don’t know any better.” He took her hand to give her a paper cup, and there was that zing again. Warmer than before, sliding through her body like butter on a hot biscuit.
Her breath caught, and Hunter whistled—low and smug. “Impressive, right?”
“I haven’t taken a sip yet.” She tried to pull her hand away, but he held it.
“I wasn’t talking about the coffee.” With a squeeze, which took her good parts from hibernation to fully caffeinated, he let go.
Rolling her eyes, she took a sip and—sweet baby Jesus—her world felt right again. Her headache disappeared, the sun felt radiant, and she could have sworn she heard birds singing if she listened carefully.
This coffee wasn’t just better. It wasmagical. Smooth and bold, with a surprising sweetness on the end. Kind of like the man who delivered it.
“It’s a little too sweet and smooth for my taste,” she said, handing it back. “Plus, I like drinking my coffee while reading the morning paper.” She held his gaze, waiting for him to point out that she couldn’t read anything.
“Great, where is it, and I’ll go grab it.”
“It’s at the market around the corner. It’s a special braille edition,” she lied. “You have to ask one of the clerks behind the counter.”
“You want to walk or take my car?”
She smoothed down her hair. “I have to shower and get ready. You go and catch me up later.”
“I can wait.” He pulled out a chair at the counter and, making himself at home, took a seat.
“Okay, let me be clearer. I need to shower, so I’d like you to leave.”
