“This is fixable. Okay? Don’t worry.” He gave a sympathetic smile and drew his hand away. Allie involuntarily leaned toward him; her body not ready to give up the delicious contact. How did she fail to notice how good he smelled? Like pine and outdoors and clean, fresh soap. More delicious than the scent of her despair. Maybe it was his scent, or his touch, or both, but she felt comforted. Some of the tension left her shoulders, and the ache behind her left temple went away.
Dax’s eyes fell to her lips and she really noticed how sculpted and soft his mouth was. Those lips were made for trailing a woman’s body, for kissing secret places, for...
He abruptly moved away and headed back to the hall. He was walking into the second kitchen area when she caught up with him.
“What’s this?” He asked, looking around.
Her heart was still racing from his proximity in the other room. “It’s a secondary kitchen I had put in so I can produce gluten-free baked goods. All the recipes have been developed and tested, but I’m waiting on certification before I start offering them.”
His face twisted a bit. “Gluten-free? That’s no flour, right?”
Allie was used to having to explain it. Her mother had had celiac disease, making it dangerous for her to eat wheat, barely or rye because of the gluten content.
“Well, wheat flour. That’s part of it. Gluten-free foods is a huge industry. I’ve done a lot of research and I think starting up a dedicated product line that can be shipped all over the US will be good for my bottom line. Anyway, it’s a work in progress.” And it was something Bella Blu wasn’t already doing.
Dax seemed to roll that around in his head for a moment before he turned to fully face her.
“You know,” he whispered. Allie realized just how far he’d leaned into her. His breath touched her face, minty and hot. “Your dad is right. You should go on a date with me.”
“He... he never said that.”
Get with it, Allie! She gave herself a mental shake and shuffled a step back. Not because she didn’t want Dax this close, but because she wasthis closeto throwing herself into his arms. What was wrong with her? She’d never had such a fast and deep reaction to a man. None of her ex’s had brought about this kind of want in her. The want to be taken, to do naughty, dirty things. The want to be taken so hard she’d feel Dax for a week afterward.
“He implied it.” He trapped his lower lip under his top teeth before wetting his lips with the tip of his tongue.
“Lots of things have been implied today.” Like her body implying that Dax’s gesture of comfort made him suitable enough to have hot monkey sex with... even though he’d just hurt her in the end, like everyone else. He’d find something to add to the Loser Allie List.
Worse, he was a shifter. What if his temper was as unpredictable and hot as Blake’s? A slight shudder rolled over her body. No way was she putting herself in the path of a man like that again. She was taking her next relationship slow and give it time to develop true colors before she fully committed.
“Go out with me.”
She took another small step backwards, Blake’s anger-filled eyes on her mind.
“I’m not interested.” She crossed her arms over her full breasts to ensure he didn’t see how her nipples pressed against her shirt. Traitorous boobs.
“That’s a shame.”
Before she could respond, he asked her to show him the access to the attic, and he disappeared into it, all traces of playboy Dax gone. She looked after him a moment, expecting he’d pop back down and make some comment about trying to convince her. He didn’t.
Allie swallowed and walked back to the kitchen. She and Dax needed to be strictly professional. She wasn’t looking for another moody shifter or damn heartbreak!
So why did she feel so disappointed?
Her cell phone buzzed from her back pocket. Pulling it out, she peered at the screen. Allie.
One word. Just one. As she read it, Blake’s flat, warning tone of voice filled her mind. It was the tone he used specifically to say her name when he was displeased or upset with her. She shuddered and put the phone away.
She thought she was past the days of being afraid of her own name.
