“Oh, I see,” I breathed.
Her blush deepened, streaking scarlet along her cheekbones, and dozens of enchanting images filled my head—as if all those sweet, lacy nightgowns in the shop hadn’t been fodder enough for my imagination.
“Right.” I cleared my throat and repeated, “Right. Cool.”
Eden finally looked at me again, hazel eyes bright against her red cheeks, then she burst out laughing at whatever she saw on my face.
I tried to remember if I’d heard her laugh at all that night at the hotel. She had giggled, yes, when I stroked my hands up her sides and discovered how ticklish she was there, but nothing like this sweet explosion of sound from those pretty red lips.
I was mesmerized.
Eventually, the laughter died away. Eden shook her head and lifted her can of cola in my direction, her expression turning serious. I braced.
“You wanted to move into that space?” she asked softly. “How long have you had the store?”
“I opened about eight years ago now. And don't feel bad about the space. I waited too long. You got there first, fair and square. Besides, I needed the push to expand my website offerings, get some new ads up. I got space on some digital billboards throughout the state, which seems to be driving a fair amount of traffic to the site.”
She smiled and said, “That’s great, Milo.”
“It all worked out in the end.” I gave a quiet laugh. “Is that the news you were celebrating that night at the hotel?”
Eden blanched. “Shit. Yes.”
“Good. I’m glad I got to be part of that celebration, Eden. You’re doing something incredible with that storefront. That’smore important. Though I am curious…how exactly did you get the cat pee out of the rug?”
“Oh, man,” she groaned, nudging her shoulder against mine. “Addie’s brother, Rob, replaced a chunk of the subfloor and found a scrap of the same carpeting to fit in there. Before that, I spent a lot of time on my knees.”
“That’s what she said?” I ventured.
She burst out laughing again, adding another checkmark to my Perfect Fit list, and we finished our dinner.
Maybe that night at the hotel counted as our actual first date, but this one felt like it—the most perfect first date I could have imagined.
Chapter Eight
Eden
Milomightnothavefit anyone else’s definition of a perfect gentleman based on some of the jokes he cracked throughout the evening—or the simmering heat in his eyes when I knew he was recalling our night together—but it had been a long time since I enjoyed myself quite that much. He showed no signs of being a sore loser, even when I whooped him at two different combat games, though he managed to beat me in a couple rounds of each.
“You’re good,” he said, tossing his controller onto the coffee table. “I’m ready to admit defeat.”
I tucked my feet under me, turning toward him on the overstuffed couch. “I graciously accept your surrender.”
“Well then, you won. What do you want for your reward?”
“I get a reward?”
Milo grinned at me as he ran one of his big hands along Jiji’s sleek back where the cat lay sleeping on the cushion between us. “Of course. You earned it.”
What I needed was to get home so I could attempt to get a good night’s sleep before opening day tomorrow, but I didn’t want the evening to end. Especially when Milo was smiling so temptingly, petting his adorable cat and gazing over at me with that soft light in his gray eyes.
I decided a few more minutes wouldn’t hurt.
“A kiss,” I blurted.
Milo’s eyes darkened. “A kiss?”
“Yes. One goodnight kiss, then I really do need to get going.”
