“Nash, I’ve never had a serious relationship. Certainly never lived with someone other than my family.”
“Okay, how about this. Weekends here, or your days off.” He frowned. “I don’t know what your schedule looks like. But I’ll be here working on this place every day I’m not on a job site. I’d like you with me. Helping like you asked.”
“I’ll think about it. Now.” She waved her spoon at the TV. “We’re missing our date.”
He grinned, ducked his head and stole a quick kiss before she could stop him. “Okay. Date night.”
They were quiet while they ate and watched the McCallister clan leave their son behind. When they finished dinner and put their bowls back on the coffee table, Laura snuggled into his side, and he wrapped his arm around her, tucked the quilt over them tighter.
Mom McCallister had just arrived back home when Nash heard a little snore come from his date. Smiling, he glanced down to find Laura had fallen asleep. As much as he’d wanted to take her to bed and fuck them into next week he wanted to take care of her more, so he sat still and let her sleep.
By the time the credits rolled he reluctantly pulled away and went over to the fireplace. He hadn’t built a fire before they ate and now he didn’t know if he should just leave it until morning. A vicious howl of wind that rattled the only two windows in the room and the thought of the old furnace giving out overnight made up his mind.
Crouching down, he arranged logs, stuffed some kindling beneath them, then got a fire blazing. The fireplace didn’t have a guard but with the deep box and the size of the stone hearth he wasn’t worried about sparks bouncing out and setting anything on fire while they slept. He’d set an alarm for ever couple of hours so he could get up and check on it throughout the night.
The heat coming off the flames felt great against his hands and face but he’d leave the central heating on—if that’s what you could call the ancient system someone had fitted to the house at some point in the last century—he’d see how well the fire heated the bedroom tomorrow when he could monitor the temperature constantly. If the fire alone wasn’t enough he might have to work out something extra for the sleeping quarters at some point.
For now, he needed to get sleeping beauty to bed without waking her.
Not wanting to deprive her of the warmth she had in the quilt cocoon he scooped her up in it and made his way to the bedroom. Juggling Laura he managed to pull back the blankets on the bed and get her in without dropping her or disturbing her slumber.
She burrowed deeper into the folds of the bedding making him smile. He liked her there. Wrapped in his sheets and quilt, her head on his pillow. Getting into bed beside her was going to be one of the best nights of his life.
With that in mind, he ducked back into the kitchen and shut down for the night. A few minutes later he was stripping to his boxer briefs and sliding beneath the covers. He stared at the woman beside him and couldn’t help wondering if she’d still be all in come morning.
He knew he would be, had been since the minute he laid eyes on her in spite of her indifference over the years, and while she’d agreed earlier, he knew he’d spooked her with the moving in talk. What he hadn’t told her—because she’d really freak out if he had—was that he’d known the second he’d seen Lakeside Inn that it was meant to be theirs.
He’d had visions of the two of them at the lake edge with their kids, swimming in the summer, skating in the winter. The images in his head had been so vivid he hadn’t taken a second to think about buy the Inn, he’d just decided to.
Alex had been rambling on about the investment and Nash had turned to the real estate agent and told her to call the owner.
He’d had the keys within weeks.
And now he was here, with the woman he’d bought the house for.
Laura Murdock.
Would it freak her out more if he told her why he’d bought Lakeside?
One hundred percent.
Smiling, he did what he’d spent the last few minutes trying not to. He moved closer and pulled her into his arms.
They might not be where he thought they would be after their first date but he’d take this. Naked or not, Laura in his arms was more than a dream come true. It was his ultimate fantasy.
7
Laura woke with her nose pressed against Nash’s throat, one arm thrown over his belly, and a leg wrapped around his closet one like her life depended on keeping him close. In return, both his arms were around her torso holding her tight to his naked, expect for a pair of briefs, body.
She didn’t remember coming to bed. And considering she was fully clothed and nothing ached they hadn’t done what she’d hoped they would after the movie finished. Come to think of it, she didn’t recall watching the end of the movie.
Had she fallen asleep on him?
Motherfucker. How embarrassing. She’d objected when he said they weren’t having sex yet then crashed on him.
Sighing, she tried to wiggle out of his hold only to have his arms tighten around her and the leg she didn’t have hostage with her own, hook over their entwined limbs, pinning her in place.
“Where you think you’re going?” he rumbled in a sleep roughened voice that had shivers shooting down her spine and out to her fingers and toes.
