She clasped her hands in her lap, still looking around the living room, and it occurred to him that maybe he wasn’t the only one who was nervous.
“So, what brought you to Cielo Springs?” he asked.
“I got tired of the city. Tired of my office job. Tired of the chaos and monotony, mainly.” She shrugged. “I wanted to live somewhere quieter, somewhere not D.C. A friend of mine spent some time skiing in Montana and raved about it. So I decided to come see what all the hype was about.”
“And?”
Her attention dropped to his mouth, and he swiped the back of his hand over it, hoping there weren’t cookie crumbs stuck there. Relieved he didn’t feel any, he inwardly sighed, bringing his attention fully back to her. Their gazes locked and the craziest thing happened. The room stood still, like the very air around them charged with electricity, and he fought the urge to lean in and kiss her.
Damn.He’d never experienced such a potent and intense attraction before. Not this fast. It threw him for a loop. When her tongue poked out and ran across her bottom lip, his dick perked up in a way it hadn’t in a very long time.
“Would you like to have dinner with me?” he asked, voice husky. Slightly rough. On the edge of his seat, hoping she’d say yes.
“I’d love to,” she responded with a smile that lit her pretty eyes.
Tara’s smiles never did that. They were always superficial. Quick to come and go. But Sabrina’s smile? Its genuine warmth lit up his insides.
“I know this is a little forward…” Her voice quieted and the spark in her eyes dimmed a little. She seemed almost embarrassed. “But I don’t suppose you have an extra room over here, do you?”
Her question caught him off guard and his pulse raced. That definitely wasn’t anything he was expecting her to ask. But could an opportunity to get to know her better fall into his lap any easier? “Um, a couple. Why?”
“My heat doesn’t seem to be working very well and my house is turning into an ice box. I called someone to come look at it, but he can’t come for two days. There’s also a bit of a plumbing problem happening and the toilet overflowed twice.” When he didn’t comment right away, because he was too busy imagining her sleeping in his bed—which she wouldn’t, of course, because he had a guestroom—she hurriedly added, “I don’t want to put you out. I can find a motel—”
“No!” Okay, that came out far too loud and way too eager.Chill, Jay.“There’s no sense paying for a motel when I have plenty of room here. I mean, it’s just a couple nights, right? And it’ll be convenient if you need to run back home for something.”
“You really don’t mind? I feel a little silly asking since we barely know each other, and you did kinda chastise me for my loud music, but…” Her cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink. “I have a good feeling about you.”
His mouth edged up. Yeah, he had a good feeling about her, too. It felt like the Universe approved his desire to jump back into the dating pool. Almost as though it had served Sabrina Ross up on a silver platter.
It’s not like Mrs. Right was just going to stroll up to his door and knock.
Except she kind of did.
Coincidence? Honestly, he wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. But maybe it was finally his turn to be lucky in love.
“If you want, I can take a look at your heating system. I’m fairly handy.” He expected her to jump at his offer. Instead, she shook her head.
“Oh, no, please don’t worry. I have one of those home warranty things where they have to, ah, send their own serviceman.” She cocked her head. “Unless you’re trying to get rid of me.”
“No, definitely not.”
They shared a smile, and he was reaching for another cookie—damn, the things were addictive—when his phone buzzed with a text. A quick look revealed it was Lex, and he was currently rolling up the driveway.Fuck. Talk about shitty timing.
He frowned, then he sent her an apologetic look. “My friend is stopping by.”
“I can leave.” She started to stand.
“No, don’t be silly. He probably won’t stay long, anyway.” She sat back down, and as he got up, he glanced down at the cookies, considered hiding them, then thought better of it. “Be right back.”
Jayson strode across the living room, texting Lex back:My neighbor is here.
Lex:The hot one?
Jayson sighed, then quickly texted:If you embarrass me in any way, I will eviscerate you.
As much as he loved Lex Battle, his friend and fellow teammate, the guy had no filter. Especially when it came to him sharing his exploits—and his bed—with women. If he lived to be ninety, and that was a big if considering he lived on the wild side, Lex would end up being the perverted old man in the nursing home that none of the nurses wanted to give a sponge bath.
His phone buzzed with a laughing emoji.
