A smile touches her lips. “AndI promised if I escaped, I’d tell you how sexy you looked climbing up the wall like that. All strong and intense and determined.”
“Oh, really?” My voice dips. “You thought I looked sexy?”
Pink touches her cheeks. “Yes. Not that I want to be in a fire again to see it. But you wereverysexy. Like my own personal action hero.”
Though it’s far from the optimal time, given the circumstances, desire surges.
My pants go uncomfortably tight.
My body aches for hers.
I’d like nothing more than to carry Penny into the bedroom—not the guest room, but mine—and peel her clothes off, revealing inch after delectable inch of her skin. I want to kiss her all over, ravishing her body and committing each perfect detail to memory. I want to discover how it feels to sink deep inside her, the kinds of sexy sounds she makes, and how gorgeous she looks when she comes.
Afterwards, I want to fall asleep together, Penny’s naked body tucked safely against mine. I want to soothe her back to sleep when she wakes from her inevitable nightmares. I want to bring her coffee and breakfast in bed, and show her funny dog videos to take her mind off the horrors of the night before.
Shit, I want to doeverythingfor her.
“There’s something else I was thinking about,” Penny adds. “But I don’t want you to think I’m asking because I don’t have anyplace else to go.”
I sternly command my body to settle. “What is it?”
“Well, Ari and Thea both offered to let me stay with them,” she replies. “And I know they have room. But… I was wondering if maybe I could stay here? Since you already offered?”
My heart leaps. “Are you sure? I mean, of course you can. But I thought?—”
“I was being stupid. And stubborn. All the things you said, they were right. Your house is great. Duke is great. And you…” She scoots even closer. “I can see it, living here with you. Making dinner together. Watching those boring baseball games?—”
“Hey. They’re not boring. The Yankees areneverboring.”
Penny giggles. “Sometimes the games are boring. But I don’t care. I can just read while you’re watching them.”
“True. Or we could watch your favorite shows, instead.”
“We could take turns,” she offers with a smile. “One night, boring baseball, the next, the most dramatic episode ofThe Bachelorever.”
I turn so I’m facing her and take her small hand in mine. “Do you really want to move in? Because I meant what I said before. There’s no rush. Really.”
Her brows arch up. “Do you still want me to?”
“Of course.”
“Then I really want to move in, Mitch. It feels right.” She climbs onto my lap and kisses my cheek. “Being with you feels right.”
“Penny.” I brush her hair behind her ear, letting my fingers trail down her neck. “Being with you feels righter than anything.”
Her wide blue eyes meet mine. “Can I tell you something else I’d really like?”
“Anything.”
“Not now, because it’s late and I really am tired, but tomorrow… Maybe we could finally have sex?”
My body springs to attention again. “I think that could be arranged.”
“Okay. Good.” The pink in her cheeks flushes deeper. “Because I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. After our dates, when I’m laying in bed, thinking about you, sometimesI—” Her mouth clamps shut. The flush turns to the color of lobster.
“What do you do in bed?” I ask roughly.
“Nothing,” she replies quickly.
