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“Establish?” He twirled his hand in front of him in afinish that thoughtgesture.
I cleared my throat and dragged my eyes away from those cut abs up to his face. So that wasn’t really a hardship. “Boundaries. We need to establish boundaries.”
He shook his index finger at me. “Yes. I told you I needed some privacy, yet you tear in here like the house is on fire.”
“You can’t get in my personal space again.”
Holt shoved his coveralls off his hips, leaving him only in charcoal gray boxer briefs. “Easy, we live together. You can’t get any more up in each other’s personal space than that.”
I cinched a hand on my waist. “This what I’m talking about. You can’t walk around in your underwear. Or drink my wine without asking. Or—”
He stepped closer, a distinct ridge evident against the cotton of his underwear. I stepped back.
“That’swhat this is about. I drank your wine.” His smile was conciliatory. “We’ve got nothing to worry about. That sure as hell won’t happen again.”
Holt moved toward my bathroom, pausing when he got to the splintered doorframe. “Since this is broken,” he motioned to the door, “can you give me a minute? I won’t be long. I need myprivacy.”
The bastard didn’t wait for a reply, dropping his underwear to the floor, so that all I was left with was an unobstructed view of his perfect ass.
Taut muscles defined the planes of his back, which gave way to his solid behind. And damn his legs. Long, thick with muscle I imagined came from hiking or mountain climbing. He was the picture of strength, and my second time looking at his naked form was no less awe-inspiring than the first.
My nipples pebbled into hard buds that stabbed through the thin lace of my bra. The silk fabric of my dress did nothing to disguise my physical reaction to him. I couldn’t make myself move, not even when the water turned on.
Holt’s face appeared in the doorway. I ignored the disappointment that I couldn’t see any more of him.
“You still standing there?” He knew damn well I hadn’t moved if that smirk was any indication. “I’m sorry. Guess I should’ve extended an invitation. But you wanted your boundaries, right?”
“You apparently don’t know what that word means. Enjoy your shower.” I lifted my chin and strutted from the room with an extra sway to my hips. Tit for tat and all.
Once I couldn’t feel his eyes on me any longer, I picked up my pace. I breezed through the kitchen, picked up my purse, keys, and phone. No way in hell was I doing roommate night or whatever he called it. Not when all I’d be able to think about was him . . . naked . . . and wet.
I leaned against the wall as I waited for the elevator. Wasn’t he the one who was supposed to be having illicit thoughts? Instead, it was me who had soaked panties and heart palpitations.
Nope. I was going out. And if all went to plan, I wasn’t coming back home to face more of this tension. How had this suddenly gotten so complicated?
Chapter Four
Holt
“Easy?”
The apartment was quiet. Too still.
I readjusted the towel around my hips and went in search of her in the kitchen. No luck. If her missing purse was any indication, she’d bolted.
Had I scared her? In a creepy, pervert kind of way?
I’d meant to keep my clothes on, but that red dress had me going straight out of my mind. I was torn between wanting to leave it and those sex-kitten shoes she was wearing on and getting her naked as fast as possible. For the first time in my life, it was well and truly a toss-up.
Fuck me, I was hard again just thinking about those pouty lips and what they’d feel like on me. Anywhere. I’d take anywhere.
I grabbed a beer out of the fridge. If I was a pervert, I’d still turned her on. Those crimson stained cheeks and dilated pupils didn’t lie.
Damn it all to hell. She made it easy to forget she’d been abused. In what way and by who, I didn’t know, though I was determined to find out.
That right there—my inability to keep my clothes on around her—was exactly why I hadn’t come home last night. Look where it had gotten me. Alone. No Baker anywhere to be found. And wasn’t that why I’d moved in with her in the first place? To make it impossible for her to avoid me.
Clearly, I didn’t think this through.
