“With cleaning the kitchen, I mean.” He grinned.
She got the distinct impression it wasn’t what he meant. “C’ mon, Sweetpea, time to get you cleaned up.” Aria didn’t trust easily, but their visitor held an unfamiliar appeal. The discovery unnerved her a little. His mannerisms so far hinted at a friendly disposition and might be mistaken for indifference. Perhaps beneath the bushy overgrowth lurked a charmer. His presence not only held a positive effect on Prisha but filled her kitchen with a strange comfort. Baffled with the direction of her thoughts, she guided her daughter to the bathroom.
Satisfied with Prisha’s appearance, Aria sat her down on the bed and gently pinched her daughter’s cheek. “I need you to sit here while I take a shower, okay?” Even as the words left her mouth, Aria had a feeling it fell on deaf ears. Prisha had made a new friend. “Promise?”
“Yes, Mommy.”
As Aria stood and stepped away, the sound of the front door closing caught her ear. Maybe their visitor wanted some air.
Ten minutes later, she exited the bathroom, and Prisha was gone. So much for her daughter’s promise. Despite the child’s disobedience, she shook her head. Although his quick friendship worried her a little, his indulgence with the pancake contest assured her their visitor meant her daughter no harm.
Another ten minutes and Aria left her room to find a spotless kitchen. Prisha sat in front of a blazing fire, busy with her dolls. A glass of milk, a plate of cookies, and an apple cut up just the way Prisha liked, sat on an occasional table next to the child. So. The man knew how to handle kids.
As she poured a mug of coffee, her gaze scanned the view outside the kitchen window. The cold weather of the previous night gave way to a brilliant sun. Its sparkle glinted off the light snow in the spruce trees surrounding the cabin. Thank goodness for small favors. Mother Nature was definitely in a giving mood today. While she missed the warm South African winters, it took time getting used to the erratic Wyoming weather. Right now, she wouldn’t change it for anything.
“Where’s Ree...our visitor, Sweetpea?”
Prisha looked up and smiled. “You look pretty, Mommy.”
Aria reddened. Without thinking she’d added a touch of mascara, light rosy lip gloss, and brushed her hair up into a tight ponytail. She hadn’t dressed for anyone. The sudden thought made her wince. “Thank you.” She eyed her daughter with mild trepidation. Nothing, it seemed, escaped the child’s keen eye.
“He’s outside chopping wood.”
Curious, Aria bit her bottom lip.What’s he up to?First, the pancakes and now this. Was someone trying to score brownie points?Why?She ventured outside, stood on the porch and caught sight of Reece to the side of the property, now covered in a light dusting of snow. Suddenly, she found her coffee less than appealing as something else rapidly seized her attention.
Oh, God.
It took Aria a few seconds to grasp the idea she presently appreciated a sensually sweaty half-naked stranger. What sane man would chop wood in the cold without a shirt? Granted, it wasn’t icy yet. She gulped. Even in the mildly chilly weather, the man’s sweat swerving down his taut muscles rivaled the pure streams of the mountain paths. The mid-morning sun danced over rippling bronzed skin. Muscles flexed and bulged as he raised the ax and brought it down with undisguised ease—an almost rhythmic flow to his movements. God, chopping wood never appeared this sexy before. Broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist.
The angle of his body offered her a side view of his abs. Sexy, flat, and ridged with sinew flesh in all the right places. She mentally counted. If half an eight-pack looked this delicious, she imagined the sight of the full quota. The urge to reach out and run her hands over the smooth body, heightened with each gasp of breath. Faded jeans hung low on his hips yet couldn’t hide the shape of a clearly defined ass. Aria swallowed. Uncertain what confused her more. The stark cravings sweltering within the warm confines of her denim, or her drool over the sexy body of a half-naked stranger.
Then he turned.
The sip of coffee she took, sprayed out her lips as his face came into view.Holy fricking shit. Dumbfounded, she stared. Several hard swallows followed before she finally picked her jaw off the floor. Her stunned gaze raked the handsome face of her one-night stand lover. A serious unhinged moment she’d indulged in three years ago. Gone was the grizzly bush and replaced with a clean-shaven firm jawline enhanced by the sexy curve of full lips she suddenly remembered. Her nipples tightened in defiance and abruptly yearned for his teeth and tongue he’d used with undeniable skill to manipulate her senses. The recollection prompted a shudder. She became conscious of the lightweight cardigan she wore. Hard nipples protruding against a tight white top would be easy to spot.
His dark brown hair tangled around his face. The thick waves fell to his neck in a sexy mess while three stray locks playfully kissed his brow. The tease added a sensual intensity to the baby blues studying her head-on. Everything, from the chestnut flecked hair to those irresistible washboard abs down to the well-worn toes of his boots, screamed sin, and Aria silently prayed for strength against this devil in disguise. A slow, sexy grin widened his lips. She balked. Prayer and all.Oh, hell. Her heart whacked harshly against her ribs. It subtly mimicked the earlier thwack of the ax as it connected with the wood.Shit.She’d never experienced anything so unsettling before. Her insides churned with a mixture of unease and anger.
