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Nothing screamed “boring” more than spending your Saturday night alone on the sofa when everyone you knew was out partying together. It wasn’t like she wasn’t invited; she’d even had a discussion about going with her sisters. For the life of them, they couldn’t understand why she’d want to stay home alone.
She even had to feign a headache for them to leave without her tonight, because if Kayla and Errin got the smallest hint of Kate sitting alone on a Saturday night with a pint of chunky monkey ice cream, they would bust down the door and drag her out by her hair.
She loved both of them with all of her heart, just like she loved the rest of their family, but sometimes she just needed time for herself. Now that she’d moved to Austin, living in Kayla’s former apartment, she was stuck with the bubbliest Walsh sister—Errin, who’d moved into the other vacant room. Errin’s power was switched on from dusk till dawn. The Walsh family even compared her to the Energizer Bunny, even nicknaming her Bunny.
Errin gave her opinion on just about anything and everything. After a few months of living together under the same roof again, Kate was reminded of why she liked living on her own in New Jersey.
She glanced at her reflection in the dark television screen feeling ready to veg out in front of the TV. Her face was wiped clean of makeup, she had her hair in a messy bun on top of her head, and she was dressed in her favorite onesie with a yellow-and-pink-cupcake print.
She put on a rerun of The Bachelor. She couldn’t believe the things some of the women said on national television. Just when she shoved a bite of ice cream in her mouth, a certain bleached-blonde girl made an outrageous comment about making “the bachelor” fall for her during the show because she had “certain qualities” that had never let her down before. Kate almost choked on her dessert.
During her laughing fit, the doorbell rang. Who could be at her door on a Saturday night at nine thirty? Everyone she knew in Austin was at the party at The Lucky Irishman, the pub owned by Kayla’s boyfriend’s family. Her sisters would’ve used their key to come in, so it had to be someone else.
After the attacks on Kayla, Kate was certain to check the peephole first. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him standing there with his gaze trained on her door. Why was he here? Shouldn’t he be at the party for Ronan? She had texted Brennan, who’d organized the party, earlier that she wasn’t able to come tonight.
Ronan had won some important MMA match that ensured he’d stay in a certain competition. He wanted to celebrate with his family, which apparently she was now included in—not that Kate and Ronan really talked or anything. Every time he tried to talk to her, she got uncomfortable and her replies would get stuck in her throat. Ronan was the most obnoxious Mills brother—no, rather the most obnoxious man alive, by far. He could match Errin in confrontational discussions and crude remarks. He’s just so in your face all the time—so unnerving.
“I know you’re there, Kate. Please open the door.”
Speaking of unnerving men, the person who could rattle Kate like no other stood on the other side of the door. She stood still while holding her breath. Maybe he was just being his cocky self and only figured she had to be home since she wasn’t at the pub tonight. Where else would the boring Kate be, right? Maybe he hadn’t really heard her.
Seeing him standing there, reminded her that Donovan Mills really was out of her league. She took the opportunity to study his features through the peephole with the door as a safe barrier. He’s everything she’d always read about on her e-reader. She devoured several books a week, mostly stories about domineering alpha males who were always in control and liked to show the heroine how good it would feel to let go and hand over the reins to them.
She’d fantasized about Donovan ever since they’d first met five months ago, when he’d held her hand in his family’s pub and stared into her eyes. They stood there for what had felt like hours but was only a mere moment. He gazed into her eyes, and all she could see was him. She had been struck by the Donovan lightning bolt, as she’d named it. Yes, the same lightning bolt she’d seen many other women struck by since then.
After her move to Austin in June, the first night they saw each other again in Lucky wasn’t at all what she’d imagined because he flirted with other women in front of her. Seeing him whispering in another woman’s ear and that woman smiling coyly at him, made her heart beat out of her chest. When his index finger slid ever so slowly over the woman’s shoulder, Kate became nauseous.
“Exhale and let me in before you pass out, Kate.”
What in the world was she going to do now? He really knew she was standing behind her door, holding her breath for him to leave.
“I’m sick, and I don’t want to give you the same bug.”
She rolled her eyes at herself. That was probably thelamest response he’d ever heard. Donovan Mills wasn’t one to be brushed off.
“Open the door,” he demanded.
She exhaled again, which came out as a big sigh.
“Don’t you sigh at me.”
Behind the safety of the closed doors, Kate rolled her eyes. She grinned at her own cowardice before opening the door.
“Why are you smiling? I don’t find it funny you would’ve left me standing here if I hadn’t heard you. I should bend you over my knee for that.” Wearing a stern expression, he raised an eyebrow at her.
Kate wanted to act indifferent to his remark, but she could feel her skin already heating up at the thought of being put over his knee. God, was it warm in here? Oh no…. She remembered her cupcake onesie and furry flamingo slippers. Her cheeks reddened even more, and she wondered if it was possible to die from embarrassment.
“Nice flamingos, cupcake,” Donovan said with a smirk.
She looked at the offending flamingos and instantly hated the sight of them. She was supposed to be a twenty-seven-year-old seductress, a self-assured woman who Donovan would want above all others—at least she was in her dreams. Never had she imagined he’d see her in an ice-cream-stained cupcake onesie and these stupid slippers.
“What are you doing here?” she asked instead of responding to his instantaneous nickname for her.
Donovan pressed past her and strolled into the living room, her words seeming to land on deaf ears. Kate took the opportunity to take in his deliciously filled slacks. The man really had a nice, firm backside under a narrow waist and a muscular back. His wavy dark hair had traces of gel, like he had tried earlier tonight to bend the unruly locks to his will. She shook her head and followed him into the living room where she saw him picking up her spoon and ice cream pint, serving himself a bite.
“Mmmm.”
Donovan licked his full lips, and Kate stood frozen, unable to take her eyes off him. He sat down on the sofa and patted the seat next to him after placing the pint back on the small coffee table.
