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Now I was judging my own choices.
I wasn’t sure going inside his house was a good idea, but I couldn’t deny I was curious to see what kind of digs a bachelor cop had. Especially when he had a surprising art background in there to make him just a bit too fascinating.
After I opened the door, I swallowed a gasp.
Not at all what I was expecting. And yet it matched him. The door lead into the kitchen. Butcher block countertops gleamed in soft honey and walnut shades. The cabinets were deep green and obviously custom made for a man of his height.
Even the countertops were a little tall, coming well above my waist. Not that it was a stretch. Most things were too tall for me. Instead of painted, the green was a stain that urged me to touch.
I didn’t have much impulse control and found myself dragging a fingertip along carvings in the kitchen island’s doors. A tiny bird was tucked in one corner and a larger cardinal peeked from another. Instead of green, he’d added a touch of red stain to make the carvings stand out.
“This is…wow.”
He glanced at me through a thick hank of hair that had fallen forward. “Thanks.”
I shivered a little, reminded of my vampire drawing that had held me obsessively all day.
Seeing him in the flesh after I’d drawn his likeness was jarring. Enough that I was very glad I had a hoodie on. No need to give him a heads up on just how attentive my headlights were to that penetrating glance.
Very annoying, as well.
Especially when tingles followed the tightening of my nipples on a more southernly track. Instead of staring at the tall, dark, and delicious male a few feet away, I let my gaze trip over the other touches he’d added to the room. The crimson bar stools under the kitchen island, the banquet-style built-in that made use of the small kitchen and showcased more of his carving talents.
I could spend all day finding the little bits of himself he’d added to the room.
But my stomach overrode my curiosity. I quickly washed my hands and followed him to the back of the kitchen.
“Stool or bench?”
“Since I’d probably need you to boost me onto the seat, we’ll go with the bench.”
His jaw flexed in a most distracting manner.
I really shouldn’t have made that bet. It had been much easier to spar with him at my sister’s bakery than to think about him naked.
The old jeans he was wearing left little to the imagination in that regard. Denim had a habit of making outlines around the mostinterestingthings.
Did I mention it had been a damn long time since anything but silicone had been in my hands?
But street corn won over orgasms.
At least for now.
THREE
I spentthe night tossing and turning. And it wasn’t because the meal I’d made us hadn’t hit the spot.
As a rule, I didn’t lack female companionship. I wasn’t exactly a player to the extent my older brother had been before he’d been changed by the love of a good woman, but I’d had my share of romances. None of them had lasted long.
I was particular, and the older I got, I became less interested in spending time with someone I knew wouldn’t be a good fit in the long-term. Because this was a long-term town. If you were going to plant roots here, it was wise to read the lay of the land.
Or else move on before you ended up stuck.
Happily stuck in most cases, from what all I’d seen—my brother included. I never thought I’d see Brady happily shopping for baby shit. I didn’t get it.
But then again, I’d also spent a good half hour discussing dog food and training with Christian last week. I hadn’t seen that on my bingo card for this year.
Then again, everything had changed when I’d found my Francie abandoned in that crappy apartment earlier in the summer.
