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I dry the dish and put it away before walking back over toward Melanie, who’s now scrubbing the kitchen sink. I place my hand over hers. “Mel, would you stop?” I chuckle. “My cleaning lady comes tomorrow.”

She looks up at me, her face just a few inches from mine. I get a whiff of her shampoo; I want to close my eyes and savor it. It’s the same herbal shampoo scent I remember. She clears her throat and takes a step back. Obviously I need to move slowly; I still need to win her trust back.

Trying to lighten the mood, I ask, “ Hey, would it be okay if I asked Harrison to stay here? I don’t want to cut into your time together, but I have plenty of room.” I point toward the stairway leading up to the next level.

“Oh, of course! I’m sure he’d love that. And you’re super close to the metro so it wouldn’t take him too long to get to my place.”

“Did you take the metro here?” My voice comes out louder than I meant it to, causing her eyebrows to raise slightly. Something about Melanie on the metro with all of those strangers this late in the day makes my hackles rise.

She crosses her arms. “I almost always take the metro so I don’t have to deal with traffic. I’ve lived here for several years, West. I know how to look out for myself.”

I throw my hands up in defense. “Alright, alright. I’m sorry. I just hate the idea of anything happening to you.”

Melanie bites her bottom lip, which just makes me want to kiss her. She runs a hand through her hair and clears her throat. “So, do I get the grand tour?”

“Yeah, sure.” I still want to talk to her about the video she sent me. A chill runs through me at the thought. I’m nervous to bring it up since our evening has been so pleasant. But we can’t continue brushing this under the rug like it never happened.

She smiles and rushes toward the steps, I laugh at her excitement. She’s going to be very disappointed when she realizes how empty the rest of my house is. She stops at the top of the steps and looks back at me. Her lips are twisting like she’s about to lecture me. I join her at the top and stick my hands in my pockets. The second floor is empty minus the Xbox, flatscreen TV, and two gaming chairs.

“Really? This is all you have up here?”

I shrug. “My teammates come over sometimes and we game.”

She walks over to the TV and picks up an NHL Xbox game case. She looks around for a moment before turning back to me. “This is the only game you have?”

I grin. “What did you expect? Besides hockey and an occasional game of golf, I don’t have time for hobbies. ”

She laughs. “You golf now?”

“I’m not that great, but it’s fun to participate in tournaments that raise money for different charities. I even got to golf with Harry Styles last year.”

Her jaw drops. “What?? How did I not know about this? I’m so jealous.”

“I knew you would be.” One corner of my mouth pulls up in a smirk. “Come on, let’s go up to the third story.”

“Okay, but we’re not done talking about Harry Styles.”

My shoulders shake, trying to suppress a laugh. She looks hesitant to go upstairs, looking down the hallway instead. I say, “There’s nothing more on this level, just two empty bedrooms. I’ll need to get some furniture before Harrison comes.”

She shakes her head. “I can picture you and Harrison staying up late every night playing video games just like you used to.”

I smile at the thought; that sounds pretty good to me, except now I have to get up at the crack of dawn to workout and go to practice.

Melanie walks ahead of me up the stairs, and I have to force myself not to check her out. Instead I look down at my feet as I follow her.

She reaches the top of the stars and gasps. “West, this is gorgeous.”

I stand next to her and cross my arms in mock offense. “I was really going for rugged and manly.”

She laughs. “Okay, rugged and manly and gorgeous.”

“Much better.” I wink.

She rolls her eyes and walks around my master suite, taking in the details. The entire third story is a cozy master suite with slanted ceilings. It used to be a huge attic, but was converted into the master. The space is way too big for just me, but it’s a beautiful and unique. The bay window allows natural light to stream in during the day, but since it’s dark outside now, the dark blue curtains are drawn. The walls are painted in the color linen—my designer told me that—and the bedding and pillows are white. The decor is more minimalistic in the master than it is downstairs, but there’s a large painting hung above my bed. A painting of an azurite stone. It looks like the painting is zoomed in so you can see the brilliant textures and colors of the stone. It’s my favorite piece.

Melanie studies the painting for a minute. “You really like these blue stones, huh?”

I look into her big blue eyes, accentuated by her long eyelashes. “Azurite blue is the most beautiful color I’ve ever seen.”