Gaze back to Skye. Back to Laylee. On Skye again as he said, “I didn’t realize you were a twin.”
She hadn’t moved. Actually, neither had Laylee. They both just stared at him.
No one would ever accuse Ford of being shy, so he stepped on in, closed the door, and leaned against it, arms folded. Waiting.
And yes, he lookedveryfine standing there.
Skye got it together first. “Yes,” she said, trepidation making her smile sickly. “Though you can see that we aren’t identical.”
“Close enough.” Looking only at Skye, he lowered his voice. “Sorry for intruding.”
Because he didn’t blink, she didn’t either. “Ah, um, it’s fine.” Condensation from the colas started to drip over her fingers. “How’s your foot?”
“You could be a nurse. The ice and the antihistamine did the trick.”
“Not tender?”
“Only a little. I can walk.” His sexy mouth curved a tiny bit more. “Are we still on for the shelter?”
The shelter.How did I forget?Her sister had always had a way of throwing her off-balance. “Yes.” Determined now, she stepped to the coffee table and set each drink on a coaster. “Laylee just stopped in, but we won’t be long.”
His gaze moved over her face as if he’d never seen her before. Still in that low, gentle tone, he asked, “Would you rather I come back? We can spare a few minutes.”
“No, it’s fine.” Somehow she’d make it so, despite her humiliation. Speaking of that . . . With a hard nudge, she tried to disrupt Laylee’s gawking.
Didn’t work.
No wonder, considering the force of Ford’s presence. The man entered a room and all the air turned thick and steamy. She still recalled the first time she’d seen him in his yard. Tall, with a hard, fit physique, dark blond hair, devilish green eyes, and a smile that could weaken a woman’s knees. Confidence. Amusement.
Interest.
He had it all. She loudly cleared her throat, desperate to break the tension. “Laylee, this is my neighbor, Ford Caruso. He’s going with me to a shelter to pick out a dog.”Nota cat, though she wouldn’t mind a cat, too, eventually.
At least cardigans were nowhere on the horizon.
Laylee being Laylee, she put a hand to her throat and hummed suggestively. “You have this specimen living next door and you’ve never introduced me?”
Ford grinned. “Until recently, we hadn’t been close.” He strode in and held out a hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Heart deflating, Skye waited for the new romance to begin. Her sister won over mensoeasily . . . even the men that interested Skye. It had been happening since before high school. For Laylee, winning over a guy was as easy as picking wildflowers. She always knew what to say, when to say it, and her boldness was only topped by her devastating looks.
If she wasn’t Laylee’s sister, Skye probably wouldn’t like her on principle alone.
* * *
Ford had a difficult time taking in everything he was noticing. Not just the twin, who enjoyed being outrageous, but the way Skye retreated, emotionally if not physically.
There was a touch of jealousy—each of the other, though he doubted Skye realized that her sister envied her. Laylee, who was a more delicate version of Skye, probably needed her sister a lot. For many things.
What he’d heard . . . No, if he thought about that too much, he’d end up offering to show Skye a few more positive experiences. That wasn’t on the agenda though—she’d made that clear—and now more than ever, he wanted to be available to her.
As a friend. A fake significant other to fend off interest. And as protection if she needed it.
It was a novel experience, and he wasn’t sure he liked it. As with most medicine, it didn’t taste great but was probably good for his character.
He squeezed in next to Skye on the couch, and she gave him a look of surprise. “So, have you thought about what type of dog you want?”
With him so close, she turned her head and stared at him.
