Page 42 of Close to Heaven

He was considering backing out of the driveway when Avery’s front door opened and there she stood. He took one look at her and swallowed hard. So far, he’d seen her in work clothes, a dress, and jeans, but he’d never seen her like this. She was wearing gray sweatpants, a matching sweatshirt, and fuzzy socks. Her hair was held up in some big clip, but there was so much of it that strands tumbled out every which way. She obviously hadn’t been expecting company, but this version of her was just as sexy as when she’d been dressed up, maybe even more so.

She gave him a questioning look, which snapped him out of his reverie. He grabbed the pizza off the seat, hopped out of his truck, and carried it up to the door. Without saying a word, she stepped back and motioned him inside. After she closed the door, they both spoke at once.

“I hope you…”

“Dakota…”

“You first,” he said, holding the pizza in front of him like a shield.

“Dakota sent you, didn’t she?”

“She might have mentioned that you were alone tonight.”

“I told her not to worry about me.”

“You’re her friend, so that’s part of the deal.”

She sighed. “Is that pepperoni I smell?”

He chuckled. “Yep. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I am.”

“So let’s eat.”

She nodded and went past him into the kitchen. As he followed, he tried not to look at her butt, but he failed miserably. I thought sweatpants were supposed to be baggy.

“I’m sorry Dakota forced you into this,” she said as she took some plates out of the cupboard.

“Nobody forces me into anything, not even my sister.”

She gave him a long look that said she believed him. “Beer?”

“Sure.”

She turned and bent into the refrigerator, providing him another extraordinary view that rivaled that of the mountains. Clearing his throat, he turned away and opened the pizza box.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked on your pizza, but I figured I couldn’t go wrong with pepperoni.”

“You figured right.” She brought plates, a serving utensil, and two beers to the table. “Thanks for doing this.”

“You’re welcome.” He wanted to assure her that Dakota hadn’t twisted his arm to be there, but he refrained. It was already dangerous enough that they were tucked away in a cozy cabin alone.

They dug into the food, which tasted as delicious as it smelled. “So, what do you usually do on a Saturday night?” she asked in between bites.

It was an innocent question, but it brought to mind all the not-so-innocent things he’d thought about doing with her.

“My idea of fun is different from other people.” He took a long swallow of beer.

“How so?”

“I’d rather go for a hike with Smoky than go to a bar, and I prefer pizza over a fancy meal any day.”

“Me too.” She picked up her beer and drank it straight from the bottle, just like he had.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I enjoyed going to the bar last night because I was with friends, but I could have been just as happy doing this.”