Everything inside him went all warm and tight. He rubbed his hands against his jeans, took a deep breath, and opened the door. Megan stood there wearing formfitting jeans, a dark green top, and a smile that knocked the knees right out from under him.
* * *
Megan stoodon Jake’s doorstep, inexplicably breathless at the sight of him. “Hi.”
“Hey.” His eyes melted her from the inside out, his gaze locked on hers as he motioned for her to come inside. “I hope you like steaks?”
She nodded. “That sounds great.”
“I didn’t know,” he paused, giving her a hesitant glance, “so I made sure everything I bought was Kosher.”
She pressed a hand against her chest. “I’m not very strict with it, but it really means a lot to me that you even thought to check. Thank you.” Most men never did. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever dated anyone who had, unless he was Jewish too. But, as she was learning, Jake wasn’t most men.
He nodded, cracking one of those smiles that revealed the dimple in his right cheek. “Wouldn’t make a very good impression if I cooked you a meal you couldn’t eat, would it?”
“Very thoughtful of you.” She stepped closer, sliding her fingers over the kitchen counter. “What would you have done if I was a vegetarian?”
“Uh.” He gave her a blank look, as if this had never crossed his mind. “I reckon we would have put the steaks back in the fridge and gone out to dinner.”
Dammit, she liked him more and more with every word out of his mouth. “Good answer, but I have to say…I’m really looking forward to having you cook for me tonight.”
“I’m glad.” He looked genuinely pleased by this.
She leaned against the counter. “Anything I can help with?”
“Nope. The steaks are already on the grill, so we’re in good shape. Wine?” He gestured toward a bottle on the counter.
“Sure.” She watched as he opened it and poured two glasses. “Thank you.”
“Bug’s still looking good,” he said, raising his glass for a sip. “Checked on her when I took Twister for a ride earlier.”
“I stopped in to visit her before I knocked on your door,” she admitted.
“I see where your priorities are.” There was a teasing glint in his eye.
They kept the easy conversation going while Jake set out their salads, and together they sat at the table to eat. By the time she’d finished her salad, he’d brought in the steaks, which he served with roasted red potatoes.
“This is really good,” she told him after she’d taken a bite of the steak. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect you to be able to cook.”
“If a man lives alone long enough, he learns how to cook the basics. It was that or let my in-laws invite me to dinner every night, and while I do love them, I don’t need to spend that much time with them.”
“It must have been awkward, living on their property for so long,” she said.
“Not awkward exactly.” He looked thoughtful. “But…if I say suffocating, that sounds even worse, doesn’t it? It was time for me to move out and move on.”
“I think that’s totally fair,” she agreed. “And I’m glad things worked out with the barn and farmhouse here at the castle.”
“So am I.” He looked up, and their gazes caught. “Although it definitely complicates the things I’m feeling for you.”
“It doesn’t have to.” She tipped her head, watching as he took a sip of his wine. “I’ve dated enough guys to know I’m good at being civil after things end. It wouldn’t have to make our positions here at the castle awkward.”
“That’s good to know…I think.” He gave her an amused glance.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying, I don’t tend to attract drama in my relationships. We could stay friends and be professional to each other afterward, if we got far enough into a relationship to warrant a breakup.”
“Okay.” He looked a little bit uncomfortable with the shift in the conversation.
“This is what we planned dinner to discuss, right?” she said. “How things would work between us if we decided to take things farther?”
