But if he lived here, in Starfire Lake…there was no telling how quickly she could spiral out of control.
If he was going to be at the bookstore all the time, her favorite place to retreat to besides her kitchen, how would she keep her hands off him? It had been easier when she was younger, ironically, because she hadn’t known what it felt like to be kissed by him.
Tucker chimed in. “It’ll be good to have you home again, man.”
“Are you going to make changes to the store? It’s so drab.” Ainsley’s voice grated on Megan. There was nothing wrong with the store, except their lack of titles in the Romance section.
Caleb’s attention moved from Megan to Ainsley. “We’ll see. I don’t want to make too many changes too fast. I’m hoping to find ways of bringing in new customers. My uncle mentioned that a customer or two keeps asking for us to expand some of our sections. Maybe I’ll start with that.”
Sly, sly jerk. Megan kept her eyes on her cards. The conversation changed to something Tyler wanted to do during the week, and the poker game picked up again.
Her turn came around in the game. She checked her cards again and didn’t have a hand worth playing. “Fold,” she said and put her cards face down.
The old wood chair scraped the floor as she stood up to get a drink from the kitchen. Megan tried to ignore the feeling in her back, right between her shoulder blades, that told her Caleb watched her move from one room to the next.
All the mismatched glasses the Keating family had accumulated over the decades lived in the upper cabinet to the left of the sink. Any time a kid’s cup or a random mug or glass was left behind at the end of a weekend or vacation at the farmhouse, it automatically became a permanent resident. It was a way to make sure there was always glassware available, and the same policy applied to plates, bowls, and cutlery.
Megan reached for her favorite – a glass shaped like a retro Coca-Cola bottle in a light blue hue – and turned on the faucet.
In the few seconds it took for the water to get cold enough, Megan heard someone come into the room behind her.
“Not a fan of poker?” Caleb’s voice came from across the small space, but Megan’s body reacted as if he stood right behind her. Fire flooded her veins and desire threaded under her skin.
Megan took a deep breath as she filled her glass. “Not in the mood, I guess.” She took a long drink and put the glass down before she turned to see Caleb move closer. His dark green T-shirt highlighted the glimmer of emerald in his eyes, and they were fixed on her.
“Oh? And what exactlyareyou in the mood for, Megs?” His words were a growl, and Megan’s body responded to it as if desperate for his precise instruction.
That night at her apartment flashed through her mind again –his hands on her wrists as he held them against the wall, his tongue on her skin as he worked his way down her body, his cock –
Megan flicked her gaze down to see the outline of it against his shorts. She hadn’t realized that his comment earlier hadn’t been a joke. That he did want her again. She looked back up at him. “I –”
Before she could finish her sentence, her older brother walked into the room. “You guys are missing one hell of a game. Tyler’s about to have to do all the dishes for the rest of the week.”
Caleb turned away from Tucker and hid himself against the counter of the sink. Out of the corner of her eye, Megan watched him adjust himself as Tucker opened the fridge and grabbed two more beers. Caleb’s arms were crossed again before the door of the fridge snicked shut.
“Tyler’s gonna be pissed.” Caleb was the picture of nonchalance as he and her brother talked about the game.
Tucker had a huge grin. “He already is. It’s great.”
Megan caught the strain in Caleb’s voice and made a snap decision. If Caleb wanted her, he’d find a way to follow. She dumped the rest of her water and put the glass in the almost-full dishwasher. “Have fun beating Tyler, Tuck. I’m going to bed – say goodnight to everyone for me?”
“See you in the morning.” He nodded at her and disappeared back into the dining room.
Megan added a little sway into her hips as she walked past Caleb to get to the stairs. She paused for half a moment in the doorway and looked back at Caleb, an inviting smile on her lips.
Triumph and excitement trilled through her as Caleb took a breath and nodded in the direction of the dining room as if to say, ‘I’ll be up soon.’
It wouldn’t take long for Caleb to follow, but Megan couldn’t decide whether she wanted to yell at him for not telling her the news sooner, or if she wanted to kiss him.
She’d decide in the moment.
