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Del awoke trappedinside a cocoon, darkness and warmth all around her. After a moment of panic, soft snoring reminded her of where she was—in Isaac’s bed, curled naked against him under the sheets, and sandwiched there by one overweight bulldog lying atop the sheets on her other side. She turned her head to find Louie sleeping like a people, his head on the pillow that had been intended for her. Or maybe that was his usual sleeping space, and here she was, invading it.
She snuggled closer to Isaac’s long, lean body, enjoying that he didn’t seem to mind, and let the memories of the night wash over her. Of Isaac’s kisses, of his touch. Of the way he’d so thoughtfully—and thoroughly—focused on her needs. It’d been a while since she’d been with anyone, so her first orgasm had come hot and fast. Number two had waited for Isaac. Number three was what had landed her here, sleepy, sated, and in utter bliss.
Why on earth had she gone so long without sex?
Because there hadn’t been anyone who’d caught her eye like Isaac in years. And not just his looks but his kindness and generosity. Although, she’d be lying if she didn’t admit to being drawn to his sexy smile and that delicious stubble she loved to rake her fingers through.
Love—now there was a word she’d better be careful to not start using. Tonight had been fun, but it’d also been all about lust; she was smart enough to know they were not one and the same. Yes, she genuinely enjoyed his company and had no intentions to stop seeing him anytime soon, but they’d only known each other a short time. It was far too early to be throwing out theLword.
It was not, however, too early to be labeled as the clingy type, something she was not.
“I’ve got to get home,” she whispered to her handsome hermit.
On a frown and with eyes still closed he mumbled, “No, stay.”
She shifted to stroke his stubbly cheek. She hated to go, but it was necessary. Small towns talked, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to make the headlines. Also, the clothes she brought with her would never do for their planned landscaping activities after sunup. “Can’t. But I’ll be back soon.”
“Promise?” he asked, still more asleep than not.
“Yes.” She placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
He mumbled something else, then rolled to his side. Del waited for his breathing to smooth into a slow cadence, then slipped silently from the bed. Louie opened one eye at her stirring but didn’t bother moving a muscle, allowing her to collect her clothes, still scattered about the floor, and trod off to find the hallway bathroom. Having dressed and quietly freshened up, she eased out the front door and found her way home.
Three a.m.
She grinned at the time displayed on her dash. Driving home was much preferable to her earlier years doing the “walk of shame” trek across campus. Though, for her, sex hadn’t ever been something she’d felt ashamed about; tonight was no different. Had it not been so late, she might have even given it one more try before heading out. But morning would come early for them both, and they had a full day of yardwork ahead of them.
Though, with as much time as he’d spent on her website this week, she planned to do the lion’s share of yardwork today. And to prevent him from objecting, she’d be getting there at nine instead of ten like she’d told him over dinner, to get a head start on their work. The forecast had called for a warm but clear day, and she planned to make the most of it. Who knew how many more days like this Indiana would offer?
Plans for the day were still running circles in her mind when Del made it home, peeled off her clothes—again—and crawled into bed. Asleep the minute her head hit the pillow, she awakened a short time later by the sound of a text alert from her phone. She cracked one eye open and was shocked to find her room filled with muted sunlight. A quick glance at her phone found it was already eight o’clock.
Eight o’clock?!
Darn it, she’d forgotten to set her alarm. Thank goodness for the text or she’d never have made it back to Isaac’s by nine. A few swipes and she opened the new message from Margaret Harper.
Got in a little late last night, didn’t we?
Del grimaced. Such was life, living next to watchful insomniacs. “We don’t need to share that with anyone else,” she texted back.
Margaret sent a little smiling devil emoji.
Your secret’s safe with me. Hope you two had LOTS of fun.
Del sat up on a groan, resisting the urge to text back and dig this hole any deeper. Of course Margaret would connect the dots so quickly. Also, Del knew better than to believe their little “secret” was truly safe—that would only happen until Margaret’s sisters woke up. All she could hope was that they would keep it among themselves long enough to give her time to tell Mia.
Which, she decided while in the shower, was going to have to wait. Not because she was hiding anything from her older sister, she simply didn’t have the time right now. Mia had always loved her sleep and wouldn’t be up for at least another hour or two. By then, Del would be well into her work at Isaac’s.
Besides, she was going to need to tell Mia—who else could help her craft the best introduction of Isaac to their father? Because hermit or not, if this thing continued between them, Stephen Brooks was going to insist on meeting him. There was no guarantee the two men would hit it off, since her father had been called curmudgeonly a time or two, but—
Whoa.
Was she really having this conversation with herself? Introducing Isaac to the family?
Del shook her head and finished getting ready for a day of playing in the dirt. Time to curb that line of thought. Just because they’d shared an amazing night together didn’t mean she was allowed to go and get all hung up on the guy, especially when she still didn’t know his whole story. And was what he had shared with her even the truth?
Crap.There was another line of thought that needed stopped. Why were old habits so hard to break? She paused before her bedroom mirror and leveled a stern look at herself.
“Isaac is not Jonathan,” she told her reflection. “He said there was no other woman, and you need to believe him until he gives you reason not to. He’ll share his story when he’s ready.”
