“No.You didn’t wake me up,” I said, glancing back at him.The air suddenly punched out of my lungs.
Colton was so not looking at my face.
He was looking below the shoulders, his gaze lingering insome areas longer than others.Like at the edge of my shorts and then acrossthe chest, as if he were committing the words Penn State to memory.A tinglebuzzed to the tips of my breasts.His gaze gradually drifted up to my face andthose blue eyes…they reminded me of the core of a flame.Heat blossomed deepinside me, infiltrating my veins.The intensity of it was shocking.
So much so I stepped back.“I’m going to…I’ll be rightback.”
That half grin remained in place.“Mind if I help myself tothe coffee?”
“No.Not at all.”I edged toward the stairwell.“Help away.”
Spinning around, I dashed up the stairs and into my bedroom.Once inside, I pressed my palms to my warm cheeks.“Oh my God.”
I headed into the bathroom and saw, thank God, that my facewasn’t blood red, but my cheeks were flushed and my hazel eyes, more brown thangreen, seemed bright.Feverish.Turning on the cold water, I bent over andquickly splashed it over my face.Oh goodness, I had only ever read about menstaring at women in a way that it felt like a physical touch before.I hadn’treally believed it possible.
It was.
Straightening, I grabbed my toothbrush and quickly got downto business, all the while trying to get a grip on reality.It didn’t take agenius to figure out that Colton was here because of what happened last night.There could be no other reason, so I needed to keep my overactive imaginationwhere it belonged, at work.Yes, it was odd that he’d just pop over, but maybehe felt like he needed to tell me in person.And the checking me out?Maybe hewas just reading my shirt.
Okay.That was stupid.He had definitely been looking at mybreasts, but he was a dude and I was a chick, so these things happened.
Especially when you were nipply and you weren’t wearing abra.
I grabbed a bra and a pair of yoga pants I’d never in myentire life ever worn while doing yoga.I quickly re-twisted my hair and thenresisted the urge to put makeup on.At this point, if I went back downstairswith a peachy glow and to die for lashes, it would be way too obvious.
I couldn’t believe Colton Anders had seen me braless beforeI had my first full cup of coffee.What is my life?
Ugh.
Ignoring the near constant flutter in the pit of my stomach,I headed back downstairs.What I saw had the weirdest, bittersweet feel to it.
Colton had placed the box of crepes on the dining table andmoved my cup of coffee to the seat catty-corner to where he was sitting, at thehead of the table.A fresh cup of coffee was placed in front of him.There wereeven plates and he’d found my napkins.And utensils.
It was so…familiar, and again, intimate.
“How are you hanging in there after last night?”he askedwithout looking up.
“Okay, I guess.I mean, I’m trying not to think about it.”Except that was a terrible lie.It was almost all I thought about last night.
He glanced up and the side of his lips quirked up.“I mustsay, I sort of liked what you were wearing before more.”
My cheeks flushed red as I made my way to the table.“Youmust be exhausted then.”
One eyebrow arched.“Oh, sweetheart, I’m never too tired toappreciate the beauty of a woman who just woke up and is still walking aroundin the clothes she slept in.”
I sat down, eyeing him like he was a foreign species.“Ididn’t know you were a charmer.”
“More like an outrageous flirt,” he corrected, opening thebox of crepes.“Obviously I’m not very good at it.”
Clasping my hands in my lap, all I could do was watch himpluck up a crepe and plop it down on my plate.Was he saying he was trying toflirt with me?That was definitely not typical detective protocol.
Well, not outside romance novels.
“I’m still shocked that it was you when I walked into theoffice last night.God.How many years has it been?Too many.”He moved on,picking up another crepe and placing it on his plate.“I really am sorry tohear about Kevin.The one thing I’ve learned over and over is that life is notguaranteed.Ever.”
“That’s true.”I glanced at the crepe.It looked delish, butnerves were conquering my appetite.“It’s hard to deal with and move on, butyou do, even when there are a lot of moments when you don’t think that’llhappen.”
“And you have?”He picked up a knife and fork, cutting intothe crepe.“You’ve moved on?”
