It wasn't a sexual comment, but for some reason, that's where my mind went.I wanted to follow Morgan into the shower and clean him.
I forced myself to look away.I had a feeling everyone was watching our exchange closely.I'd never been close to Morgan.I wasn't interested in getting to know him.But now we were living together.I couldn't escape him.
His daring rescue had sparked something inside my body, an attraction I couldn't seem to shake.
Living in proximity, I'd be forced to get to know him.I'd either be repulsed, or I was going to be more attracted to him.I had a feeling it was going to be the latter.The problem was, he'd already revealed a tiny part of himself—he was protective—and he'd followed through on his word, so he did what he said he would.All attractive character traits.I had a feeling that the more he revealed, the more I'd like.He was not going to be easy to resist.
He disappeared down the hallway, and I could hear the thump of his footsteps on the stairs.Everyone smiled and looked at me for some kind of revelation that living with a virtual stranger who was hot was not going to lead to anything.
I held my hand up."He's my brother's friend.He was nice enough to let me live here."
Clara waggled her brows."Have you been paying attention to the other love stories of the shop owners and their sexy contractors?"
I swallowed hard, because I had noticed them."Just because one or two women fell for their contractor doesn't mean that it will happen to me."
Belle took a bite of a cooling cookie."That's what I thought.But I wasn't living with him."
I tipped my head to the side."You and Maverick had a history.Didn't you date in high school?"
"Are you saying you didn't have a crush on Morgan growing up?He was always hanging around Tom, and you didn't have inappropriate thoughts?"Clara asked.
"First of all, Tom spent more time at the Sterlings than Morgan did with us, and I don't remember ever having those kinds of thoughts about him.I didn't know him that well either."I'd actually thought he was boring.He didn't joke around with me or seem overly into sports.He was just there, a strong and steady friend to my brother.But there was nothing that hinted at his interests.
"I didn't know Hudson before he fixed my pipes either," Angela said, and everyone laughed at her innuendo."Get your mind out of the gutter."
"So you're saying that you didn't enjoy that sexy photo shoot?"Meg said, her eyes sparkling with amusement.
Angela's cheeks heated."We're not talking about that."
One of the other shop owners, Bill, had shown one of the images at the town hall in an effort to discredit her lingerie shop.It had backfired, but I was still worried that Bill would cause trouble now that my electrical would have to be fixed first.
"We've had several successful romances in town, and I think you're next," Clara's voice carried over the conversation that had broken out.
I rolled my eyes at her declaration."He's only helping me because he has some outdated sense of duty to my brother.It has nothing to do with being attracted to me or wanting something more."
Belle rested her elbows on the counter, her eyes sparkling with interest."Tell us all about this promise Morgan made to your big brother."
I sighed, frustrated that no one was listening to me."I think it's ridiculous to assume I'd need protection."
Belle fanned herself with a napkin."I think it's sweet that your brother wants to know you're safe while he’s deployed."
"I consider myself an independent woman, but I'd still enjoy someone vowing to protect me."
"Right?How hot is that?"Clara said.
"I'd be annoyed too."Meg elbowed me in the side to get my attention.She was just as independent as me, but it was for a different reason.She had been a foster kid who was adopted into a new family, but she had wounds from her past, most likely a healthy dose of abandonment from her biological parents, and worries about her brother who hadn't fared as well in his new family.
"It's caveman of Tom to think I'd need protection."
Clara raised a brow."You're not a teensy-tiny bit impressed that he broke through your door to get you out of that fire, even as firefighters were arriving on the scene?He could have easily stepped aside, and someone else would have saved you."
Would I be having impure thoughts about whoever had saved me?Was it not specific to Morgan but maybe the traumatic experience itself?"I didn't know he broke down the door."
"Eve said that his brothers had to fix it that night," Meg added.
"I had no idea."Suddenly my heart rate picked up, and my mouth was dry.I reached for the wine that Clara had brought and took a healthy sip.
"Slow down, girl.You have to live with that hot specimen of a man who thinks it's perfectly fine to walk around with shorts hung low on his waist and nothing else," Meg advised.
