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Now my cheeks are blazing. I busy myself with the cucumber, concentrating on slicing it into paper-thin circles.
“Thanks for clearing that up.” Matt unties his apron and hangs it on the hook inside the pantry. He waits for me to fan the cucumber into the last bowl, then takes two of them to the table. “Dinner is ready. Let’s eat.”
* * *
After dinner, Eva runs to her room to get something, then hurries across the kitchen toward the slider. “Sorry, can’t help with the dishes! Gotta go see Rachel!” She’s out the door and galloping across the yard before we can answer.
Matt chuckles. “Me and my big mouth.” He stacks the plates, scraping bits of fat and bone into the trash. “I shouldn’t have told her to see Rachel until after the cleanup.”
“There isn’t much.” I take the salad bowls to the sink and rinse the dressing down the drain before putting them into the dishwasher. “Hand me that frying pan, and I’ll scrub it.”
He puts the pan beside the sink, then moves the salad dressing bottles to the refrigerator. While I wash the pan and knives, he puts everything else away. We leave the wet dishes in the drainer, and Matt turns off the kitchen light, pausing beside the fridge. “You want anything else to drink?”
I raise my glass of water. “I’m good. I have to drive back to the Ranch tonight, so one is my limit.”
He loiters by the couch for a moment. “You want to sit down? Go for a walk? Watch a movie?” He grins. “There’s probably a Nica Holmes film on the Romance Channel.”
I roll my eyes. “No thanks. I don’t like her stuff. Too sweet. Besides, I thought you said you watch European Vacation when Eva comes home.” I put my glass on the coffee table and sit on the couch.
“We can do that when she gets back. Or tomorrow.”
I clear my throat. “We should probably talk.”
“That’s never good.” He drops beside me with a grin. “Isn’t that the line that always follows ‘we should talk’?” His grin fades as he catches sight of my face. “Oh, it really isn’t good.”
I take a deep breath, but before I can say anything, he turns to me and grabs my shoulders. At his touch, a thrill of energy snaps through me, and the air catches in my throat. My brain might want to talk, but my body wants something completely different.
“Look, Nica. I like you. And I know I told you yesterday that I can’t do short term, but the truth is, I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give. I can’t seem to stay away from you. He lets go of one shoulder to gesture between us. “This isn’t one-sided. You feel it too—I can tell. I know you have work commitments, and I would never expect you to give that up for me. I’m just asking you to give us a chance. Let’s see where things go, okay?”
I can’t tear my gaze away from his beautiful blue eyes. They speak to my soul in a way I’ve never felt before—inviting me to fall into their depths and float there forever. I suck in a gasp of air through my tight throat. “I—”
He moves closer, and whatever I was going to say gets lost behind a hot buzz of desire. His hand comes up to cup my cheek, his thumb grazing my lower lip, sending an electric ripple into my core. I close my eyes, leaning into him, my lips angling toward his like a heat-seeking missile. Our lips touch, and I lose myself in a vortex of belonging, a longing that is both satisfied and demanding.
The kiss seems to last forever, and yet only for seconds. We break apart, and I gasp for air, my heart pounding. I want more—more of this man who makes me feel weak and powerful, vulnerable and strong.
He sits back, eyes wide. His chest rises and falls quickly, as if he’s been running. When he licks his lips, another shock of want spears through me. We stare at each other, as if we can’t understand or believe what we’re feeling.
As if forever is possible.
When the slide opens, we both jump.
“Sorry!” Eva holds up a hand, as if she’s trying not to see us. “Just passing through. Don’t mind me!”
Matt rolls his eyes, then chucks a throw pillow at his daughter as she scoots around the kitchen island toward the stairs. “About time you showed up. We have a movie to watch.”
She pauses in the doorway, eyeing us. “I didn’t want to interrupt, but Blake and Rachel were getting all cozy, and I didn’t want to be a third wheel.” She glances at me, then focuses on her dad. “Oops, too late for that. Sorry! I’ll just go upstairs. I would have come in the front door, but it was locked.”
“That was my fault.” I stand. “Habit. Can’t leave a door unlocked in So Cal. I need to head out now anyway.” They protest, but I shake my head. “I need to pick up the keys to my new place at the Visitors’ Center before they close. Crap.” I yank my phone out of my pocket and relax. “Yeah, I’ve still got time.”
Matt follows me through the house to the front door. “This was fun.” He opens the door, squinting against the setting sun. “Looks like the coast is still clear. No paparazzi.”
“We didn’t really get to talk.” I glance toward the family room, but I can’t see Eva from here. Still shielded from the street by the partially open door, I reach out and grab his shirt, pulling him toward me.
He comes willingly, pushing me into the corner behind the door. “Is that what you call this? Talking?” His hands move to the wall behind me, one on either side of my head as he leans in.
“Now that I think about it, talking can be overrated.” I rise on my toes and press my lips against his. The move takes us both by surprise. My fists clench in his shirt, pulling him closer, needing to feel his body against mine.
The THX sound booms out of the family room, followed by another “sorry!” from Eva.
