“I’m not proud. Hand it over. I’ll be out in a bit.”
In the kitchen again, she ground the beans, started the coffeemaker, and grabbed two mugs from the cabinet. Seconds later, wearing dry socks, he padded into the room with the laundry basket. The happy coat wasn’t quite big enough to stretch fully across his chest. On her, the robe hung to midthigh; on him, it barely reached his hips. She tried to stifle a giggle and failed.
His eyebrows went up. “That bad?”
“Pretty awful. I should get a picture of you.”
“Don’t you dare,” he said as she pulled her phone from her hip pocket and snapped several photos.
“Vi,” he warned, a smile softening the tone. “Let me see.”
He reached for her phone. She jerked it away. “Hand you my phone so you can delete these photos? I’ll show you instead.”
He set the laundry basket down and moved in close. Too close. Trying her best not to inhale his clean-soap smell, she showed him the pictures.
“What do I have to give you to make you delete them?”
All kinds of unwanted ideas filled her mind, most of them way too sexy to voice out loud. She stepped aside. “I promise not to share with anyone unless you misbehave.” She giggled again. It felt good.
“Be on my best behavior—got it. The sooner my tee dries, the better. Do I need to know anything about operating the washer?”
“Laundry soap is on the top shelf. Otherwise, it’s self-explanatory.”
His hair was tangled and sticking up. He smoothed it with his palms, frowned, and smoothed again, for all the good that did. Wouldn’t you know, the happy coat rose up another few inches, giving her a generous glimpse of his navel and flat belly. She glanced away and focused on that hair. She wanted to grab a comb, wet it and groom him. She wanted more than that.Stop it.
Anyway, she didn’t share her comb and brush. “I’m about to make coffee if you want it.”
“Go ahead. I’ll join you when I get this stuff into the washer.”
While he was gone, she considered texting Rose. Her sister needed to know he was here. At least when he was around, she wouldn’t press Vi to talk about him. She postponed texting to pull a carton of half-and-half from the fridge and fill a small pitcher.
After the washer started, he padded into the kitchen. “Man, that coffee smells good.”
“Help yourself. Half-and-half and sugar are on the counter.”
For some reason, watching him fix his coffee was mesmerizing, especially with a decent swath of his chest exposed. Did he have to be so buff? Better stop ogling the man. She filled a mug for herself. “You should know that Rose is coming over soon. We’re ordering takeout.”
“Your sister’s finally back. Got it. As soon as the laundry is done I’ll call Falcon Ride Service and ask for a car that has room for my bike.”
“Or you can have dinner with us.” Had she really just invited him to join them? “Since it’s pouring and you’re here.”
“Wouldn’t want to impose.” He glanced down at himself and snorted. “Guess I already am.” They sat at the eating counterwith their mugs. “I still have questions about what you told me earlier today.”
“Considering the abrupt end of our conversation, I’m not surprised. When you left, you weren’t happy.”
“No, I wasn’t. Your comment that what we did reminded you of the clown you got involved with really fried me. I’ve never been compared with anyone like that. You said you liked my kisses, but I guess you changed your mind.”
“Believe me, I haven’t,” she replied, her lips tingling from the memory of his delicious mouth on hers. “That wasn’t what set me off.”
“Well, what did? Because sharing a few kisses is much different from borrowing money from you and cheating.” His eyes blazed, and not in a good way, as they bored into hers.
A few tense seconds later, Vi sighed. “Apparently, my explanation wasn’t as clear as I meant it to be because you’re still mad.”
“Ya think?” He paused and scratched a finger in his hair. “Huh.”
“Huh, what?”
“I’m just now realizing what I’m really ticked about. Not you, the jerk who led you on and messed with your feelings.”
