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When they parted, he stared down at her face for a few seconds before releasing her.
Apparently that simple kiss affected her just as much as him, since her voice turned husky. “I’ll show you out back since I need to start the grill.”
Food before fucking, he reminded himself. “I might not be able to cook a great meal but I can sure grill a damn good steak.”
“What about meat that used to cluck and not moo?”
“Passable. I might need close supervision.”
“I can do that. Come on.”
Behind the kitchen, a hallway ran the width of the church and seemed to be the only closed off area on the main floor. She pointed out a small laundry room to the left and a half-bath to the right. Then they continued straight out French doors to a huge slightly raised platform made out of composite deck material. A hot tub was in one corner, and white lights were strung from one post to the other, completely circling the deck.
While she lit the grill, he wandered around the deck, peering out into the dark to watch the dogs inspect every inch of the yard enclosed by the short stone wall.
“They don’t jump that?”
“No. They’re boundary trained. That’s why I trust them to go out front, too.”
“Did you train them yourself?”
“Mostly, yes. I did hire a trainer to help since I wanted to make sure I could handle two big dogs at once. I never had a dog before these two.” She pointed to an outdoor couch. “Sit and enjoy your beer while I get the rest of the meal prepped.”
“I didn’t get the rest of the tour yet.”
“I’ll show you upstairs after we eat. There’s a basement, too, but unless you like dark, damp spaces, I doubt you’ll want to explore it. Since it has a dirt floor, I only have the furnace and stuff like that down there.”
“So, basically you have the main floor and a loft that takes up less than half of the length of the church.”
“Luckily, I don’t need much. That’s why this place is perfect.”
Chapter Twenty
With her legs curled under her, Mel sipped at the last of her beer while she relaxed on the couch enjoying the pleasant end-of-September weather. Summer was on its last legs and fall was peeking around the corner.
The dogs seemed to have already accepted Finn. He quickly won over Minx’s heart by throwing a ball to the other end of the yard every damn time she brought it to him. Of course, Minx ate that up and only wanted more.
“She likes you.”
“That’s good. What about him?” He tipped his head toward Jinx sitting close to Mel and guarding her, but also keeping an interested eye on what Minx and Finn were doing.
“He takes a bit longer to warm up to strange men.”
For what had to be the hundredth time, Minx ran up to him with the tennis ball clutched between her jaws and her tongue hanging out to the side. Finn threw it again before looking over at her. “You’ve had a lot of strange men over?”
While his question didn’t have a judgy tone, it did sound somewhat jealous, instead.
Interesting. Especially since they were only supposed to be a “pretend” couple and they’d only had sex once.
So far.
He had no reason to be possessive or jealous unless he was at the club playing his part of “Danny the boyfriend.”
“When I had more time to date, I had a few over. You don’t invite women over to your place?”
“Rarely. I don’t want them to think they can stick around.”
“Oof.” When she tipped the beer bottle to her lips to finish the last swallow, his gaze practically seared her throat.
Dinner had been good, the company even better and they seemed to be content simply while in each other’s company. Several times they sat in companionable silence and it wasn’t awkward at all. But it was getting late and, even though she certainly didn’t want him to leave yet, sleep pulled at her.
“I’m always upfront with women about their expectations.”
“Meaning?”
“If they’re expecting more than a night, or two, then I’m not for them.”
She oof-ed again at his “non-committal bachelor” response.
He shrugged. “It’s better than lying to them or leading them on. Or have them mistakenly look at me for a long-term relationship.” He raised his beer to his lips. This time she watched his Adam’s apple bob in his corded neck as he took a long swallow.
“Another beer?”
He shook his head. “I’m good. Thank you for dinner.”
“My pleasure.”
“I plan on getting to that next.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. “Do you want to go over my expectations first?”
“We’ve already established we’re fake dating, girlfriend.”
She studied his strong profile. Even though he sat within arm’s reach, he hadn’t made a move yet. Maybe she should suggest heading upstairs soon. She wanted to have sex with him while she still had the energy. Unfortunately, it was waning fast.
