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“Thirsty, kitten?”
Pepper sighed. “You know, I thought burning capsaicin in your eyes would shut down that mouth, but I was wrong.” She pulled a jug of milk from the refrigerator and poured some into a bowl. She soaked a couple paper towels in the milk, then carried the bowl into the living room. She left it on the table beside the bed, then returned to the kitchen to retrieve her patient.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“To the living room. You’re going to lie down and I’m going to—”
“Unbutton my pants?”
Pepper placed her hands on his shoulders and shoved him down onto the bed. “Your pants are staying on,” she replied. “Lay back, please.”
It was bad enough his shirt was off. Missing now, actually. He probably left it in someone’s yard. Perfect. Not only was Grant in her house, he was half-naked and lying on her bed.
He leaned over, removing his boots before he eased back to lie among the pillows. It would seem a thoughtful thing to do if it didn’t put him one piece of clothing closer to naked.
“I’m going to put some paper towels over your eyes that have been soaked in milk. We’ll need to just leave those on for a few minutes, then we’ll apply some ice.”
“Does milk work on the pepper spray the same way drinking it helps with the burn of hot wings?”
“You’ve got it.”
“Okay. Thanks.” It was the first thing he said all night that didn’t seem to have some sexual undertone.
Pepper squeezed out some of the milk, then laid the wet towels over his eyes. Grant immediately sighed in relief, his whole body relaxing into her bed. With the rag over his eyes and his pain subsiding, she didn’t feel guilty about letting her gaze stray to the hard, exposed body lying across her bed.
Grant was a hard-carved piece of man; a thought that brought the awkward conversation with Miss Vera back to mind. But she’d been right. Every muscle seemed to hover just beneath the thin layer of his skin, outlining every detail. The sprinkle of dark chest hair over his pecs narrowed into a trail down his stomach, disappearing beneath the waistband of his jeans. She’d followed that path with her tongue that night they spent together. The thought was enough to make her shift uncomfortably in her seat.
It had been a while since she’d been with a man. Grant had been her last lover, in fact. With everything happening with her dad, she simply hadn’t given her love life much thought. She was reacting to Grant because she was hard up and he was pretty. That was it. Nothing more would come of it. They weren’t compatible. And even if they were . . . he was a Chamberlain. He didn’t seem to understand what that meant, but to her, it was a deal breaker. End of story.
“You know, if those pants are in your way, you can just move them.”
Pepper’s gaze moved back up to Grant’s face, where he’d lifted one of the paper towels to spy on her. Only a tiny slit of his eye would open, but it was enough for him to catch her ogling him.
“Please stop suggesting we remove your pants. It’s bad enough you aren’t wearing a shirt.”
“I think I dropped it in the Robertsons’ yard.”
“You can pick it up on your way back to the bar.” Grant frowned and lowered the towel back over his eyes.
“You’re going to throw me out into the cold, dark night after assaulting me?”
“Yes.” Pepper stood up and moved from the bed. She needed a little more space between them. “Are you thirsty?” she asked, looking for something to occupy her hands.
“No, I’m fine. Well, I’m not fine, you shot burning liquid in my eyes, but I’m not thirsty. I could use something else, though, if you’re offering.”
Pepper sighed. She would never live this one down, she was pretty certain, but she wouldn’t allow him to guilt her into sexual favors to make up for it. “Nice try. If you’re no longer in agonizing pain, why don’t we talk about why you’re following me home like a creepy stalker?”
Grant fought his way up into a seated position, keeping his face tilted to the ceiling so his towels didn’t slip. “I am not a creepy stalker. You wouldn’t let me walk you home, so I thought I’d just follow behind and make sure you got home safe. Then you dropped your scarf. I had no intention of making my presence known until I saw it lying there. I knew I had to give it to you so you didn’t go back out looking for it later. There is a weirdo out there, but it’s not me.”
“And you didn’t think sneaking up on a woman walking home alone in the dark was a bad idea?”
“Well, maybe, but I had no idea you were armed with Mace. I would’ve kept my distance and left the scarf on your porch if I’d thought you were going to come for me like that.”
Pepper pulled a chair out of the kitchen and sat down. “You don’t advertise that kind of thing.”
“Well, your future safety is secured. Once people find out what happened tonight, the whole town is going to know you carry pepper spray. No one will touch you.”
Including him? The unhelpful question popped into Pepper’s head, making her close her eyes and shake her head slowly. Why was it that the one man in town she couldn’t have was the one man in town she wanted? And who seemed to want her?
