I slid my hand around hers, and her entire hand fit into my palm. My hand swallowed hers whole, and sparks flew up my arm. I let go as if she shocked me, the sparks stronger than anything I’d ever felt for someone before. “Name’s Beckett. Follow me,” I growled before spinning on my heel and walking back to my cabin. I was very aware of how close she was to me, my body reacting to her again and again, along with the sound of her boots on the fallen leaves behind me.
Soon she’d be inside my home. A sacred space I didn’t share with others. Yet somehow, I let her in. Somehow, Iwantedto.
And not just in my cabin. But in my heart, too.
I wanted to lie down and give her the world.
I wanted to fall to my knees and worship the damn ground she walked on.
I wanted to take her in my arms and never let go.
But how could I risk it all?
Pushing the front door open,I waved Emilia inside, my tuxedo cat, T-Bone, trotting over toward us right away, the nosy guy. He had to see who our new houseguest was, but considering there weren’t many who visited, how could I blame him?
He rubbed himself against Emilia’s legs, and she reached down, rubbing her hand along his soft, silky coat. “Oh my gosh! What a beautiful cat!”
“That’s T-Bone. He loves attention.”
“Hi, T-Bone! What a cute name for such a handsome kitty,” Emilia said to my cat as she stroked his fur and tail. T-Bone rubbed his head against her hand again and again, a soft purr vibrating from his throat.
“He’s going to love you forever if you keep loving on him like that.”
“Good. I want him to.” Emilia rubbed under his chin with one of her fingers. “Does he mind being picked up?”
“No, go ahead,” I said, my voice less stern, less annoyed than before. I couldn’t help it. The woman was growing on me.
Emilia scooped T-Bone into her arms and continued loving on him as he took all the pets, scratches, and kisses he could. “What a good boy.”
“Want me to show you around?” I asked, thinking the whole situation was weird, but I didn’t care because it was her.
“Yes. I love this small foyer area. Perfect for dumping your shoes. I hate it when people wear shoes in their house. Yuck.”
“Exactly. Right through here is the kitchen, which connects to my large living room at the back of the cabin with a sliding glass door out to my deck.” I showed her around the first floor asshe carried T-Bone with her, and the cat didn’t complain once. He was getting endless loving, so why would he protest?
“Next to the living room is a small reading den.” I led her through a door and into what I called a den, but it was really my library.
I was a book nerd, and I wasn’t afraid to show it.
“Asmallreading den? You have a wall-to-wall library!” Emilia looked around wide-eyed as if she were a little girl. “There must be over a thousand books in here!”
“It’s a bit obsessive. But is that such a bad thing when it’s something you love?”
“You don’t need to justify anything to me. I’m obsessed with this thing.” Emilia motioned toward the camera hanging around her neck. “Half of my bedroom is a dark room.”
A chuckle escaped my throat, and it was the first time I’d heard that sound in a really long time. How did Emilia bring it out of me?
It was as if she jump-started my heart back to life again.
Andthatterrified and excited me all at the same time.
T-Bone meowed and jumped out of Emilia’s arms. She laughed, the sound doing funny things to my insides.
“Guess he was tired of me?”
“It happens. He’ll be back when he wants more. And trust me, he will.”
“So what other things do you have hidden around this place?”
