She'd be living here for weeks, maybe months, parading around in various states of undress because she thought of me like a brother.Whereas my thoughts of her were less pure.
I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to resist her.Telling myself she was Tom's sister was already losing its impact.Nothing compared to Reina.She worked harder to make her dreams come true.She felt sorry for herself for a few hours, and now she was determined to make it work.
She was brave.It only made her more attractive.
Clara raised a brow."Her brother, Tom, would want her to live with you?"
"Yeah, he made me promise I'd look after her while he was deployed.Surely, he meant something like this.She doesn't have a place to live, and her shop is closed."
Clara shook her head."Reina would hate that.Guys talking about her like she needed someone to step in and look after her."
I swallowed hard."She does."
"If you want Reina to stay here and accept help, then keep those words of wisdom to yourself."
"Yeah, I'm getting that."
"She's probably going to move out as soon as she can."I couldn't stop her, but I didn't want her to leave.This was the most time we'd ever spent together, and now I was starting to wonder if I'd avoided her because I knew that, on some level, I was attracted to her, and I'd have trouble keeping my hands to myself.At the same time, I didn't want to betray my friendship with Tom.
I should encourage her to live somewhere else, but selfishly, I wasn't ready to see her go.I wanted to spend more time with her.I wanted to get to know her.And I could tell myself that it was because I admired her tenacity, but it was something else entirely.I was attracted to her.
I took Clara's grocery bags from her, hoping she'd stop asking so many pointed questions.
Clara followed me into the kitchen where everyone had congregated around Reina.
They hugged, and Clara asked, "What are the plans to get the bakery reopened?"
So far Reina looked pleased to see her friends, not overwhelmed.
"We're waiting for the inspection to be completed, and then we'll get to work," I interjected.
Her brows rose."You don't have any other projects to do first?"
"Our contract with the town specifies that town jobs come first, especially during an emergency like this."The town had us on retainer.It was the first contract we'd ever entered into like that.So far, it had been mutually beneficial.We had guaranteed work, and the town's issues were our priority.
"I didn't realize that," Clara murmured.
"Your stores are our priorities," I assured her.
She raised a brow at Reina."Good to know."
I placed the grocery bags on the counter.
The women were talking to Reina, and I wasn't sure where they were planning to bake.Did she want to bake here or in the larger kitchen?I wasn't a huge cook, I did enough to get by, but it would be nice if someone used my kitchen.
"Thank you for the bakery stuff.I'll take it over to the hall tonight," Reina said to them.
"You're welcome to stress bake here too.I have a feeling that will be a mutually beneficial arrangement," I said with a smile.
She raised a brow."You like sweet treats?"
I cleared my throat, because my mind went somewhere else entirely, and we were talking in front of her friends."I've been known to indulge every once in a while."
She kept my gaze, and I wondered if she knew what I was really thinking about.Drizzling chocolate sauce over her body and licking it.
"You're not going to be able to resist Reina's goodies," Belle teased.
That's exactly what I was afraid of; I wouldn’t be able to resist Reina.If I made a move, I’d have to justify it to her brother.He wouldn't understand how desirable she was, how impossible it was to keep my distance.
