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I’m about to tell him there’s no way I’m going home with him, but he speaks first. As if being able to read my mind, he says, “Please. I promise I’m not asking anything of you. But it will make me feel a whole hell of a lot better if you come with me. Otherwise, I’m just going to be sitting at home all night thinking about you. And it won’t be the fun kind of thinking I want to do about you.” He winks and gives me a half-smile.
Holy shit, the man has dimples.
I clear my throat to get out of my own head. “You sure you’re not going to try to kill me or anything?” I ask, only half-joking.
He holds up his right hand and laughs. “Scouts honor. If it makes you feel better, I’ll let you sleep with a kitchen knife under your pillow.”
“I might take you up on that,” I say, trying to sound a bit more upbeat than I feel.
“So, you’ll come home with me?” The words sound far more intimate than I’m sure he meant them to.
As much as I want to decline his offer, I admit that a hot meal and a shower would be nice right about now. It might help to bring me out of the funk I currently find myself in. I have no idea if I can trust Jonas, but at this point, I’m out of options.
Moving across the country was impulsive, so I might as well keep up the trend and be a little impulsive now. Let’s hope it doesn’t get me killed.
Slowly, I nod and walk over to throw the few things I have in my duffel bag. Looking down at myself, I realize I must look awful. Earlier, when I met Jonas, I was in a cute sundress and wedges. Now, I am wearing leggings and an oversized sweater covered in crumbs, and my hair is pulled back into a messy bun.
Less than a minute later, I have my things together, and we are walking out the front door. It’s a short walk to the larger house, which sits a mere fifty yards away.
I glance upward, and I’m so mesmerized by the stars above that I trip when I step in a hole. Before I hit the ground, I feel Jonas’s large arms wrap around me.
“Whoa, careful there, honey. You have to watch where you’re walking out here.”
When he’s touching me, his delicious scent overwhelms me. It’s like a wonderful mix of clean-scented body wash and whatever manly deodorant he’s wearing.
My eyes meet his as he helps me back to my feet.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “I’m just not used to seeing so many stars.”
He looks up as though forgetting about the speckled sky until this moment. “Yeah, they sure are beautiful. Where are you from that you don’t see stars?”
“California,” I respond.
He nods. “That makes sense. Usually, big cities don’t see starry skies like this.”
The rest of our walk is quiet as we make our way to his house. Before I know it, I’m walking up his front porch steps, and he’s opening the door for me.
“Thanks,” I say, walking past him into the living room.
For a guy living the bachelor life, he sure does have a cozy home. At least, I assume he’s living the bachelor life. Maybe I’m too quick in making that assumption.
The floors are the same kind in my house except that they are a darker shade here. A large plush tan couch sits facing a stone fireplace with a TV mounted over it. Red curtains hang on all of the windows, and a couple of table lamps emit a warm glow.
It’s not fancy, but it’s certainly warm and welcoming.
“Sorry, it’s not much,” he says.
“No, it’s nice,” I reply with a smile. “Did your girlfriend help you decorate?” I ask, trying to be as discrete as possible.
He laughs. “Nope. No girlfriend. Come on. I’ll show you your room.”
He leads me down a hallway that’s off the living room, and he opens the first door on the right, which he explains is my bathroom. I poke my head in momentarily before following him to the next door.
Inside is one of the most comfortable-looking beds I’ve ever seen. It has all-white linens and sits so far off the ground that I might have to jump up to get on it. I have no doubt it will be better than sleeping on the floor.
The walls are painted a teal blue color, and there are a couple of paintings of the beach hung up. The room is meticulously clean, and I’m wondering if anyone has ever actually used it before. Since there is still a price tag on one of the table lamps, I’m guessing not.
“Okay, well, if you want to take a shower and get settled in, I’ll start on dinner,” he says in that deep accent of his.
