He’d been making a habit of coming over with breakfast, and I wasn’t exactly in my best form all those other mornings.
Today, however, I was ready. I had on a pair of super-soft, worn jeans that made my butt look great and a cozy sweater. It was a deep-red color that I loved, and it hugged my curves in all the right places without being too tight.
I wasn’t sure why I was so concerned with looking my best, when earlier in the week I’d felt differently, but I told myself not to put too much thought into that.
I found that I was actually looking forward to seeing him. Jasper, however, was not. He made that very clear when he meowed and essentially bellowed from the kitchen that his meal was being interrupted when the doorbell rang.
“Oh hush. I’ll be right back,” I informed my sassy cat.
Sunshine burst through my entryway once I opened the door. The only dark spot was the sexy man standing in the doorway holding a brown paper bag and another travel jug of coffee.
“Breakfast of champions,” I said, reaching to take the coffee from his hands.
He also had on a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeve black henley. It looked like it had been tailored specifically for him, given the way it hugged his muscular arms and chest.
I may not be planning to have sex with him again, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t look my fill.
An image of me licking muffin crumbs off his bare chest popped into my mind. While it was a good thought, I needed to clear my head of those ideas because he would be leaving soon. Twenty-four hours from now, to be exact.
Part of me wished he wasn’t leaving so soon, but the other part of me cringed for even thinking that. He didn’t live here. He obviously had to go back to Texas. It was foolish of me to think of him staying.
“Morning, beautiful.” His gravelly voice broke me out of my stupor.
Sigh.
When he said things like that, it was hard to keep things platonic between us. Maybe it was for the best that he was leaving tomorrow, because I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold out and saying no to having sex again. He was sexy, said the sweetest things—and meant them—and was actually a good conversationalist. The three indicators of a great man to take to bed—and keep.
He followed me into the kitchen, where we did our new routine of grabbing coffee mugs and plates, and then settled onto my porch.
“Tell me something about yourself, Tammy. Something I don’t already know.”
I guess we weren’t going to talk work stuff this morning—at least not at first.
Not entirely sure why, but I went with the first thing that popped into my mind. “I’m quite a whiz at a Rubik’s Cube, though not as good as I used to be.”
He chuckled and thoughtfully paused. “I already knew you were smart, so that doesn’t surprise me. What I’d like to know, though, is whether you can beat me.”
He had an odd smirk on his face, his eyebrow lifted in question.
“You’re good at a Rubik’s Cube too?” I asked, a little shocked, quite honestly.
He nodded. “Puzzles are my specialty. It’s how I ended up in counterterrorism with the military. I was excellent at cracking codes, diving into intel, and thinking two steps ahead.”
“Challenge accepted.” I wasn’t sure when I would take him up on that since he was leaving tomorrow, but maybe if he ever came back...
No, don’t go there.
“Alright, you suckered me in,” he responded. “I can’t resist your powers.”
I turned to look at him and shook my head. “I don’t have any magical powers.”
He sat up, leaned his elbows on his knees, and turned to face me, lowering his voice to that sexy level that men could do. “Oh yes, you do, sweetheart. They’re magical and potent. A deadly combo for someone like me.”
Butterflies erupted into flight inside my stomach.
I knew once I started thinking those thoughts, it would make it too easy to get attached.
Instead, I veered us into safer territory. I asked more about his military career, and while he couldn’t get into specifics, he talked about where he’d served and his buddies he’d met through the service.
