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He smiled. “Believe me, we’ve thought about it.” That sexy grin exposed three dimples. One under his left eye and two bracketing his expressive mouth.
He’d only grinned at her like this once before, and that was when they were in bed. And that simple thought was all it took to deliver a memory of his hand cupping her neck as he reared over her, thrusting, never taking his eyes off her. A shiver passed through her.Would you stop it?“Who was watching her tonight?”
“It’s not my mom’s fault.” He reached for his stick, his tone going hard.
Crap. She’d been preoccupied with the naked version of him. “No, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just wondering what happened that sent her to the barn.”
He nodded, his shoulders relaxing. “I guess she overheard my mom on the phone talking about Stella going into labor.”
“I nearly had a heart attack when I saw her standing behind that horse.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “Scared the life out of me.”
A bead of perspiration trickled down his temple, and he brushed it away. “Yeah, I’ll bet.” He glanced down at his sneakers. “She’s too damn reckless.” His gaze swung up until those intense gray-blue eyes found hers. “If I don’t watch her like a hawk, she’ll run wild. It’s easy to get into trouble out here.”
“I can’t even imagine. With the animals and—” Her nose caught a hint of something just on the edge of overcooking. “Oops.” She dashed to the oven and pulled out a tray of tarts.
“Everything okay?” He came up behind her. “They look perfect.”
“They are.” She tipped one up so she could see the bottom. “I caught them just in time.”
“How did you know? I didn’t hear a timer go off.”
“Ah, well, my nose is a better judge than a timer. I can smell when something’s ready.”
He seemed confused. “You serious?”
“Totally.”
He took in the cooling racks. “I don’t know how you manage to bake all this in that tiny oven.”
“It’s not the ideal situation, but you won’t hear me complain.”
“You should use the Dream House’s kitchen.”
What did this man just say to me?“No way. You’re saving it for your parents.”
“It’s sitting there empty now. Might as well give it some use.” He didn’t even seem uneasy about it.
“I don’t want to ruin it for your mom.”
“If she wanted to use it, she would. Even for family reunions, she still cooks at home.”
Which brought up the obvious… “Why don’t you and Kinny live there?”
There was that flinch of guilt again. How odd. What was keeping him from living in that gorgeous, empty house?
“Trust me, if I’m in there, then my mom will never move. Deep down, I think she’s afraid we’ll lose everything again, and she doesn’t want to get attached to something that will be taken away from her. But in any event, you’ve seen the kitchen. It’s got two of everything and plenty of room.” He gestured to the cooling racks that covered every surface.
Even though the house didn’t have enough furniture, the kitchen was complete. It would make her life so much easier to bake there. She nudged his sneaker with her bare foot. “I thought you wanted to keep your distance from me.”
His gaze dropped to her toes, making her glad she’d put on a fresh coat of hot pink polish. “I’ve got no reason to be there.”
“Yeah, but the more you let me into your world, the more time we’ll spend together. You don’t want that.”
He held her gaze a little too long, and it gave her time to imagine being in his kitchen. Given their chemistry, how long would it take before things heated up between them? She could picture him coming up from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his erection against her. His hands cupping her breasts. How soon before they’d be naked, going at it on the counter?
“Your choice.” He gave a shrug like it was no big deal.
But she was better able to read him now. What she’d thought was disinterest was stillness. It was almost like if he dared move a muscle, he’d stir up emotions. This man was working very hard to restrain himself.
