Page 19 of Keeping Astrid

What the what!?

Astrid had had enough. She was tired. Smelly from cooking all day, and all she wanted was peace and quiet—something she wasn’t going to get anytime soon. “You’re impossible. Do whatever you want.”

With those parting words, she swiveled on her ballet flats and stormed out of the kitchen and upstairs, Growler’s laughter following her.

Damn, she’d taken getting out of the kitchen, literally. She’d deal with Comet later. Or maybe never.

How the hell had her life become so complicated?

Fuck, she’s magnificent.

Growler watched Astrid flee the kitchen and head upstairs. A door slammed, and he tried not to think of what she was doing behind that closed door.

He shouldn’t have laughed, but he hadn’t been able to help himself. He didn’t make a habit of using metaphors or clichéd sayings in his life.

Shaking his head, he studied the kitchen, noting the high-end appliances—not a surprise given her occupation—but it had many homey touches. The open shelving on either side of the sink that overlooked the garden was something he hadn’t really seen before. There were bowls and plates neatly stacked, ready to be used on one side and coffee mugs and glasses on the other.

In the corner of the counter, on a book stand, was a cookbook, not the one he’d seen on display at the back of Astrid’s set at the studio. That had been hers. No, this one looked old. The pages were a little dog-eared as if it was regularly used. As if it had been passed down from mother to daughter for a couple of generations. Or maybe father to daughter.

This was the heart of the home.

The heart of Astrid.

The sound of running water reached his ears, and his body immediately responded to the image of Astrid standing naked in the shower, water cascading over her body, flattening her luscious dark hair against her scalp and down her back. His soapy hands washing her back. Massaging her shoulders before sliding down and cupping her breasts.

Growler closed his eyes, grabbed the edge of the cool counter, and counted to fifty. One hundred. One hundred and fifty. Finally, he curbed the urge to march upstairs, join her in the shower, and bring that fantasy to life. His body was hard and ready for action.

What was with this wild attraction and need to mark her as his own?

Was it because his life was mixed up at the moment?

Was it because he was adjusting to civilian life?

Or was it because it had been so long since he had been with a woman that his body was telling him it was time to get back on the wagon?

No, it wasn’t the latter. He’d been approached by many women, and he hadn’t been interested. Hadn’t been drawn to them like he was with Astrid.

The water shut off—how long had he been standing there lost in his thoughts? Long enough for Astrid to finish showering.

“Yeah, maybe staying here isn’t the best idea I’ve had,” he muttered and walked over to the large double-door stainless steel refrigerator. Yanking it open, he pulled out a bottle of water and chugged down half of it.

What he needed to do was make a list of everything that needed to be done. All the things he noted and what he wanted to talk to Ox about.

Yes, get my head back into the game and focus on the job at hand.

There had to be a notepad somewhere.

Growler pulled open the drawer closest to him, the rattle of cutlery telling him he’d struck out. He shoved it closed and opened the next one. This one had tongs, spatulas, and whisks all neatly laid out in a drawer liner.

Where the fuck was the junk drawer? The one where miscellaneous stuff was tossed into and then forgotten about. Didn’t every household have one of those?

“Is there something you’re looking for?”

He startled and cursed under his breath. Dammit, this was the second time he’d been caught unawares on the same day. Where the hell had his SEAL instincts gone? The ones that had kept him and his team safe whenever they’d been on a mission.

Had he handed them back to the Navy, along with his weapon, when he signed his discharge papers? Sure fucking seemed like it.

“I need a note—” He swallowed the rest of his words.

---