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As they headed to the kitchen, he caught her surreptitiously scanning the place He darted a look around A blanket added on the corner of the couch Some mail was tossed rando and newspaper where he’d been readying a fire A bit messy, but not dirty

"It’s kind of rumpled," he told her, "but it’s horoceries down and quickly snatched up and pulled on his shirt

"Not rumpled at all" She followed him into the kitchen and put her purse on the counter "I was just thinking how homey it is Coh, referring to her dad’s penchant for wall- on dead and dusty animals" He looked at her She was so da there in his kitchen "So, are you reallyme dinner?"

She froze "If you want Is that weird?"

"Are you kidding? Not at all Just before you got here, I ondering what I was going to feed ," he said

She looked pleased at that "Good"

He began to e with his hands, so other than trace those errant wisps of hair from her face, or srew more and more impressed Melons, prosciutto, la us?"

"We’ve got ht a rack of lamb with herbes de Provence, and some berries for dessert" Doubt flickered in her eyes "Is that okay?"

He laughed "Are you kidding? More than okay" He te so enthusiastic This was another uileless, not at all a flirt If she was there because she said she’d bought too roceries, then that hy she was there

She still wore her jacket, and he went up behind her "Hey, take off your coat and stay a while"

He slid it from her shoulders and had to choke back a curse Her shirt was sheer and black, and it gave hioddalad he was standing behind her so she couldn’t see his face, or any other parts of hi"

As she turned to face hi the urge to adjust her shirt "Am I too dressed up?"

His eyes went to that part of her shirt that wasn’t sht where the lacy cups of her bra covered her breasts His jeans grew tight, like he was a daed out of his sweats, or his condition would be ridiculously obvious "Hell no" He laughed at how vehemently that’d coeous"

But then an icy rock for hi, or did that fancy shirt ? "Are you…have you got a date with Damien later?"

For an instant, she looked panicked "No," she said quickly, then added in a more somber tone, "I mean, no We broke up"

"Oh" His pulse thrummed hard in his neck, his throat suddenly dry "I’ okay?"

"Yes, I aroceries that didn’t need arranging "I’m the one who broke it off"

The full ile

"So…" He hesitated on the question he knew he needed to ask "Does that ot a funny, faraway look "I don’t think I did" Those blue-green eyes cleared, couess I wanted it to be love I’ve never been in love" She opened her mouth like she wanted to say more, and he held his breath

He’d love to see this woing into flame Billy would love to see this woman in love with him

"I see," he said

She’d put on that killer shirt Filled a bag with food And come to him It wasn’t lovebetween them He realized there had been, from the first cup of coffee she’d ever poured for him at the tavern He’d felt the instant connection of two like minds, followed by a spark of attraction But he’d been toonu

He knew it now, though He’d been nearly dead inside for years, but now he felt awake and alive And like a bear e was fierce, a thing that clenched his chest and tightened his groin

His gaze went back to that shirt--the neck was a loith a row of delicate buttons down the front A man would need to undo each one slowly, carefully

Or si off her

She looked around "So…we should get started"