AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She jumped, blushing furiously. Caught in the act.
He turned, a funny little smile on his face, and dried his hands on a towel. She just stood there, not sure how to react, and he sauntered over, took her hands, and pulled her into a loose hug. Suddenly her face was buried in man-chest, and she tried not to sniff him like a freak, but he must have showered recently because he smelled amazing. His forearms rested low on her back, a gesture intimate enough to ease her fears, and she wanted to stay there, in the warm cocoon of his embrace, forever.
Angling her head up, she smiled. “Hi. Thank you for the Danish.”
His dark eyes searched hers, and his lips twitched up. Unable to resist, she ran a hand over his bearded jaw. He tucked her hair behind her ears, and his gaze fell to her mouth only a moment before his lips did. The kiss was chaste and over before she could react, but it left no doubt in her mind that whatever was between them had become more than a friendship.
“You’re welcome,” he said, his breath whispering over her. “And good morning.”
“Good morning,” she repeated, all capacity for rational thought gone. His whiskers brushed her skin as he pulled her into another half-hug. He buried his face in the crook of her neck but left enough space between them that she didn’t feel overwhelmed. In fact, if he kept this up, she’d be a puddle on the floor. Then he cleared his throat and stepped back, his expression returning to its typical neutral setting.
“You should make one of those foamy coffees and get ready to go. I have plans for us.”
Flutters of anticipation filled her. “You do?”
“Yeah, I do.”
She could tell from his smirk that she wouldn’t find out any more details. Her heart lifted, and she buzzed with excitement. He’d madeplansfor them. He’d been thinking about her, and he wanted to spend time with her. No games, no manipulations. He’d said yesterday that he was interested in her, and his actions so far supported his words. What a pleasant change.
“Okay.” Grinning, she fixed herself a coffee and also made one for him, sprinkling extra chocolate powder on top. Then she headed back through the dining hall, with the intention of getting her shoes and a jersey. Before she made it out the other side, Kat waved her over, and gestured for her to sit.
Leaning close, she whispered, “What have you done with Tee?”
Megan frowned, sipping her coffee to buy herself time. “What do you mean?”
“That man is usually as affectionate as a brick wall.”
“I—uh—he is?” she stammered. That wasn’t the sense she’d gotten from him at all.
“Yeah. He means well, but he can come off as a little cold.”
“Oh, no.” Her jaw dropped. “He’s not cold at all. He might be the loveliest, most supportive guy I’ve ever met, with the exception of my brother.” But the love she felt for Mark was a world away from what she felt for Tione. It was like her heart had grown wings, and they were unfurling, ready to fly.
Kat smiled in satisfaction. “Good. I’d hate to think his attraction to you is one-sided.”
Megan’s eyes darted to the kitchen. Seeing that he was still occupied with the dishes, she turned back to Kat and murmured, “It’s definitely not one-sided. But he wants to take things slow. He’s worried about my mental state, I think.”
She nodded. “As he should be.” She spread cream cheese on her bagel and topped it with jam. “That said, I hope you don’t let fear hold you back. Tee is a great guy. He’d never hurt you. Not in any way.”
Megan swallowed, and focused on her coffee, which was safer than trying to keep an even expression. “I know he wouldn’t. Don’t worry, I’m not about to miss out on something wonderful because I’m scared, or because the timing sucks.” She licked cream off her upper lip. “It might surprise you to learn this, but I actually know what I want from a relationship. My brother fell in love last year. His girlfriend lived at the other end of the country and the relationship wasn’t convenient for either of them, but they love each other so much they made it work. That’s the kind of love I dream of having for myself.”
Kat’s hand landed on hers. “You’ll get it.” She squeezed, and returned Megan’s smile. “I know you will.”
20
Tione’s mouthremained dry no matter how much water he drank, and his stomach quivered in a way it hadn’t since he first moved to Silicon Valley, back when everyone he met had intimidated him. On top of that, his palms were sweating, and he badly needed to get his beard trimmed. He’d glanced in the mirror this morning and been taken aback by his reflection. But he’d get to that soon. For now, he needed to get through his outing with Megan.
Please let her like this surprise.
He knew she loved his dogs, but plenty of people liked dogs without being as dog-mad as he was. If this backfired, she might think of him as the crazy dog man forevermore. Damn, but he was out of practice with this man–woman thing. He swept the kitchen floor and tried to recall the last time he’d taken a girl out.
It must have been years ago. He’d had a wild time in Silicon Valley, partying and sleeping with more than his fair share of women, but it had gotten old. Indiscriminate affairs had long since lost their shine, and he’d never been one of those guys who needed sex, as much as he certainly enjoyed it. At the very least, he hadn’t been on a date since he’d been hired to dig into Michele Franklin and inadvertently wound up with feelings for her. After things went terribly wrong, he hadn’t thought he deserved to be romantically involved with anyone. He still wasn’t sure he did, but he’d woken up with a brilliant idea and hadn’t been able to ignore it because he was so sure it would make Megan smile.
He was a sucker for her smile.
He finished sweeping, wiped down the counter, and glanced through into the dining hall, noticing that Megan had joined Kat, and was deep in conversation with her. A sense of rightness settled in his gut. From what he could tell, she was slotting seamlessly into his group of friends. Kat liked her, as did Brooke, and Faith was prepared to take her on as a business partner. She fit here, and he hoped she could see that as clearly as he did. The last thing he wanted was for her to up and go back to Auckland.
Slipping out the fire exit, he grabbed the harness from his cabin and corralled the mutts, then knocked on her window to see if she’d returned yet, not wanting to stampede through the house with Trevor, Bella and Zee tied to his waist. When she appeared behind the glass, he gestured for her to come outside and join him.
