“No need to apologize. The furnace blower motor is broken. That’s why it’s so hot down here. I can fix it, but it might take a couple of hours to cool the basement off.”
I still wasn’t comfortable looking Amari in the eye. Instead, I examined my nail bed and raised my voice so he would hear me over the periodic thump that interrupted us.
“What’s that noise?”
“The gas water heater. It’s nothing to be alarmed about, just annoying.”
That wasn’t on my list of items to fix. There was no telling how many more broken things he’d find at my house if he kept poking around.
“The roads are getting worse, so you might want to go home. I’d hate for you to get stuck.” I pointed to the snow-covered window above us.
“Hold up. I’m coming to you.”
I kept my eyes on Amari’s big, socked feet as he moved closer. When he was inches away, I finally lifted my eyes to his. He was mysteriously attractive in the semi-darkness as the faint shadows in the room highlighted his profile. His beautiful teeth formed into a magnetic grin that drew me to the perfection of his features. He was ruggedly handsome with the kindest of eyes.
I bit my lip and squeezed my legs together to stop the unexpected tingling that threatened to have me lying on the basement floor like a wanton hussy. I wiped my brow and rested my hand on my throat as my pulse raced.
Amari swiped that brand new microfiber cloth across his forehead so slowly I thought he wouldn’t ever stop wiping small beads of sweat from his face. When he pressed the cloth against his chest and lowered it to the top of his navel, I sucked in my breath, tempted to grab it and finish the job for him. He took a big breath, too, and exhaled too slowly for it not to be intentional. His chest lifted so gracefully I couldn’t resist the urge to watch him breathe. Amari was gorgeous in every way.
“It’s really hot in here.” He had the nerve to remove that darn cloth from his damp body and dangle it in my face like a carrot on a stick.
From inches away, I became aroused by his lingering manly scent.
Like the undisciplined woman he was forcing me to be, I lifted my hand toward the cloth and grabbed the bottom of it with my fingers before lifting it to my nose. When I inhaled and exhaled several times, he gently tugged it, dangled it away, and slowly stuffed it in his back pocket.
Amari stepped closer to me and bit his lip. We stood like that, him looking down at me and me looking up at him, waiting for God knew what to happen. Minutes seemed to pass.
“I’m not leaving you alone during this storm. There’s no telling what else might need to be fixed that you don’t realize is broken. Storms like this also might bring a power outage. I’d never forgive myself if you were stuck alone for however long this storm lasts.”
My mind raced for any reason to throw Amari’s sexy self out of my house and not cave in to whatever voodoo he tossed on me.
“I have plenty of blankets and candles, so I’ll be okay.” The words tumbled from my mouth.
Amari came even closer and leaned toward my ear. Without him saying a word, my breath caught.
“That’s not enough if the temperature drops below freezing. This house is too old to keep you warm. The power might not come back on for days. I’d rather take you home with me if you won’t let me stay. As a precaution,” he added quickly.
Amari’s breathy words folded me like a blanket.
“Okay.”
Who is this woman?
My thin voice shocked me as I agreed to Amari’s authoritarian yet logical proposal. Although my instincts told me to withdraw from him, as I usually did around men who asserted themselves, I didn’t want to. I adored a protective man who could take charge of a situation in a crisis and tap into the submissive side of my personality that I repressed more than I liked to. If Amari told me to huddle with him in his truck for the night, I’d do it without question.
“This could take a while. Do you want to go upstairs? I can come up when I’m done.”
“No. I prefer to stay down here with you.”
Amari smiled and nodded, pointing to a love seat in the corner of the room.
I walked to it and eased into it with a straight back. I held my hands in my lap like a puppy awaiting further instruction from her master.
Instead of going back to work, he joined me on the couch and stared at me.
I sat as still as possible, meeting his eyes and taking in the silence of the dimly lit room. I wasn’t afraid or even anxious as the flicker of the pendant lights cast shadows across the unfinished basement.
“Are you okay?” Amari’s low voice stroked my ears and pricked my heart as he rested his hand on my knee.
