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She went still. Trying to make as little noise as possible, she tiptoed to the door and looked through the peephole. Good lord, the man was beautiful. He was wearing a black ski jacket, a matching beanie, and enough scruff to make her legs buckle. She remembered that scruff. Still had a few burn marks on the inside of her thighs, a keepsake of just what he can do with that scruff.
He looked like a ski bum and Sports Illustrated spread collided.
She glanced down at herself and panicked. She looked like a pageant queen turned sex worker and he looked … perfect. And purposeful.
Had he come here to make sure she’d cleared the air with her parents? She hadn’t. Her parents had stayed in San Francisco for another night. They were supposed to be here yesterday, but her dad had been tired from his doctor’s appointment and needed to rest before heading up. Then there had been the questions her mom peppered her with about Jax.
How long have you been dating?
Not long.
How did you meet?
I told you. While skiing.
Skiing? Isn’t that wonderful how he’s getting you out of the house. Does he like meat loaf?
I don’t know.
Honey, this is something you should know. Every woman needs to know if their man likes meat loaf.
Is that some kind of unwritten rule?
It’s just common sense. If you’re going to invite a man to dinner and I’m serving meat loaf, then I need to know if he likes meat loaf. You know, a lot of these athletes now eat whole-food, plant-based diets. Could you imagine, never eating meat loaf again?
Before her mom could force her to commit to an official dinner date, Milly managed to get off the call, citing her sister’s unpacked boxes as an excuse.
Something to add to the Lie Pile. She hadn’t touched a single box since last weekend. Which was why she was going through the closet now. If she could clean out enough room to hide a few boxes, her parents wouldn’t know the difference.
Her Lie Pile was growing by the second. So what was another little white lie? Was pretending you weren’t home really a lie, or had it become a standard practice in the times of texting before you call?
Standard practice, she decided. Then, so as not to make a sound, Milly skulked away. She got as far as the landing when another knock sounded. She jumped back like her designer dress was on fire and clutched her hand over her breasts that were saying, Look at me. Look at me.
Was she ever in trouble. There was a door and a good ten feet between them, but her body was reacting as if they were naked, setting the sheets on fire. Letting him in would be a miscalculation on her part.
“I know you’re home, angel.”
She crept closer to the door and looked back out the peephole. He was leaning casually against the railing, flakes of snow clinging to his long, thick lashes. If he was here to break up with her and end their fake relationship while she was playing dress-up, she’d die.
“You’re thinking about this too hard,” he said. “I can smell the smoke from here.”
“I wasn’t thinking about you all,” she called out through the door. And this was what happened when she lied. She had to compound that lie with another even less convincing lie until she couldn’t keep her lies straight.
His grin was dangerous. “Really? Because you seem to be checking me out.”
She jumped back once again, her traitorous heels ratting her out as they clicked on the slate floor of the mud room.
“I can stand out here all day, but if I get frostbite you’ll have to use your body temperature to warm me up.”
She cracked the door, just enough to stick her nose out. The frigid air was at polar ice cap levels, but Jax’s heated gaze melted right through it. Nerves rioted in her stomach. At least that was what she told herself it was—certainly not butterflies
“Before I open the door you have to promise not to laugh at me.”
“Scout’s honor.” He even gave the little salute, which looked legit enough.
With a sigh, she opened the door and his lips curled at the corners, as if holding back humor. “I said no laughing.”
His eyes tracked her from lips to toes. “Angel, there is nothing funny about you in that dress.” After that a small smile crossed his face. “You going to invite me in?”
