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“Girl,” she murmured to herself. “Get it the fuck together. It’s just Dallas.”

She repeated the sentence one more time to no avail. She couldn’t get the image out of her head or the thoughts they sparked.

Groaning, Sevyn decided to make a quick run upstairs to change and try and pull herself together. She took her time picking through her linen closet to find a towel and washcloth to put in the bathroom when Dallas returned.

Moving into her bathroom, she grabbed an extra bar of soap and lotion, bundling the items in her arms. Exhaling slowly, she trudged out of her bedroom and down the hall to the extra bathroom.

Gently nudging the door open with her foot, Sevyn gasped. Everything nearly went tumbling to the floor as her eyes landed on Dallas. A half-naked Dallas. He’d wasted no time in getting out of his wet clothes, standing before her in a pair of briefs clinging to his waistline.

As embarrassed as Sevyn was by the idea of her staring, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the thick mass of muscle that made up his chest and abdomen. They betrayed her and dropped even lower, fixed on the bulging mass tucked snugly between his thighs.

Grinning, Dallas asked, “You like what you see?”

That snapped her back into reality. “Um-sorry,” Sevyn fumbled over her words, placing the items on the counter. “I didn’t know that you were upstairs already. I’ll leave you to it.”

The way she ran to her room, you would have thought she ran track. Sevyn wasted little time in taking a shower of her own in an attempt to cool her searing skin. As the water cascaded over her shoulders, she questioned if she’d be able to make it through the next few days unscathed.

Sleeping with Dallas wasn’t in Sevyn’s plan, but truthfully, she was so far off-track that she didn’t know whether she was coming or going. Everything was bleeding and mixing so quickly that she had no clear idea of what she wanted anymore.

All Sevyn knew was that things felt good. In a way that made her comfortable with the possibility of them staying that way.

Finishing her shower, she changed into a comfortable outfit and left her haven, jogging down the steps to join Dallas. He looked up from his phone when she entered the room, wearing a troubled expression.

Sevyn raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“How mad would you be if we had to go off script for a few minutes? I have a client that needs to pick up a piece before Christmas. He was supposed to get it yesterday but–”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted quickly, thankful for a reason to get out of the house before she did something stupid. “I haven’t been to the shop in a while anyway.”

“Cool.”

A few moments later, they were bundled and out the door. The ride to Dallas’ shop seemed to take no time at all. Unlocking the door, he flipped on the switch, illuminating the room.

As he closed the door behind him, Sevyn gasped lightly at the beautiful, hand-crafted pieces that filled the room. Tables, chairs, dressers, jewelry boxes, all one of a kind and crafted from Dallas’ hands.

Running her hand over the smooth arm of a rocking chair, Sevyn smiled softly. “I almost forgot how good you are at this.”

Dallas laughed from his place behind the counter. “Really? Even with that big ass reminder in your backyard?”

“Oh my God, how long are you going to be running that line?”

“For as long as Pardi is going to remind me that I finished yours before his.”

Turning to face him, Sevyn grinned. “So, forever then?”

“Pretty much.”

“You get on my nerves,” she giggled, inspecting another piece of furniture.

“Hey,” Dallas called softly. “You want to see what I’m working on now?”

“Sure.”

“Aight, cool.”

Walking around the counter, Dallas held his hand out for hers. Obliging, this time Sevyn welcomed the warm feeling that coursed through her instead of rejecting it. Dallas led her to the back of the store where his workshop was.

His unfinished project was surrounded by a set of tools, gloves, and a pair of goggles.