And there it was again. She really was something else.
Her mouth stretched open, her jaw cracking with a yawn. Once she was finished, she pointed at my mug. “Got any more of that?”
“Of course. Let me make you a cup.” I shifted her off my lap and onto the stool in my place and set another cup to brew in the single use machine that came with the house.
“I heard what your friend said about protecting yourself,” she started, catching me off guard.
I sputtered for a second before finally getting the words out. “No, sweetheart, it’s not what you think. He wasn’t trying to offend anyone?—”
“Oh, no. I get it. I wasn’t offended. In fact, I’m glad you have a friend who looks out for you like that. I just want you to know that you don’t have to worry about that with me.”
My brows tugged down in a frown as I slid the mug to her across the island and headed for the fridge. “What do you mean?”
She took the creamer option I held in my right hand and doctored her mug as she continued. “I mean that I get it. I know what last night was, and I don’t expect anything from you.”
My chin jerked back. “What do you think last night was?”
At my tone, Holly’s face pinched up in confusion. “What doyouthink last night was?”
One corner of my mouth curled up in a smirk. “Oh no, Sunshine. I want to hear your answer first.”
Her expression grew stubborn. “I don’t want to say.”
I chuckled, giving my head a shake. “Fine. What I think last night was, or at least what I hope it was, is the start of something pretty fucking great.”
Her lips began curving up slowly, her grin teasing into a smile until she was beaming with it. “Really?”
I couldn’t stand the distance between us for another second. Skirting the island, I took her by the hips and lifted her up, depositing her on the island and stepping in close. “Yeah, really.” Her skin felt like silk beneath my palms as I slid them up and down her outer thighs. She spread them wider, making room for me to step between them. “I know we don’t know each other very well yet, but I really like you, and I’d like to know you better. I want to spend more time with you. A lot more time, actually. If that’s all right with you.” I smiled wide at the sound of her giggle. “That’s what last night was for me. But if it was something else for you, I understand. I’d never force you into something you don’t want.”
“I like you too,” she confessed, and the band that had been constricting my lungs loosened, allowing me to take in a full breath. “And I’d like to get to know you better.”
There was that small, niggling voice in the back of my head reminding me that my time in this town was temporary; I still had to make this huge decision about my future. But I shoved it into the deepest, darkest recesses, content to ignore it for the time being.
“Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, how about I make you breakfast. Then I’ll take you back upstairs so I can give you the rest of the tour. The shower in the primary bathroom is out of this world.”
Her brows winged up toward her hairline, and she let out a bubble of musical laughter that lit me up inside.
Chapter Twelve
Holiday
Tanner hadn’t been lying about the shower. In fact, the whole bathroom looked like it belonged in an interior decorating catalogue. The stone counters were a creamy white with veins of grey. The tile floors were heated, as were the towel racks. It was heaven in the form of a bathroom, and any other time I would have been drooling over it. But there was something else that stole my attention and had me drooling.
The bathroom was filling with steam and the scent of freesias.
“Are floral essential oils good for sore muscles or something?” I asked teasingly as Tanner stepped back from the shower and screwed the cap back onto the bottle.
“Smartass,” he returned, a smirk playing on his sexy mouth that made my stomach feel warm and floaty. I felt like I’d walked on air since the night before, and everything Tanner said and did only made that sensation linger. I kept pinching myself, waiting to wake up, because this had to be a fairy tale. It couldn’t be real life.
“I’ll have you know, these were part of the welcome basket the owners left for me when I arrived.” He lifted the bottle and sniffed. “But I’m comfortable enough in my masculinity to admit this shit smells amazing.”
My head dropped back laughing, and when I brought it up again, Tanner was standing right in front of me. “God, you’re beautiful when you laugh,” he said in a reverent tone, reaching up to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. My skin broke out in goosebumps as the pads of his fingers skated down the side of my face. His thumb brushed back and forth against my lower lip, setting my body aflame all over again. “Hell, you’re beautiful all the time.”
God, my skin felt like it was in a constant state of blush around this man! Butterflies took flight in my belly as heat pooled in my core. A shy smile curled the corners of my lips as I looked at him through the fan of my lashes.
“Oh, believe me, there are times when I’m far from beautiful.” Like on the first day of my period when I was bloated as hell, moody, and couldn’t find the energy to brush my hair or teeth. On those days, I usually wore my rattiest sweats, the ones I’d stolen from one of my brothers at some point. They were stained and faded and full of holes, but they were also soft as clouds, and all I gave a damn about on those days was comfort.
He shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. “Nah, I think I’d find you hot even if you’d rolled around in mud.”
