Page 35 of 7 Nights of Sin

It was like breaking a spell or being doused in cold water. The moment was gone, and I wasn't sure how to get it back, or even if Caro wanted to. But for a second there, it had seemed like she was just as interested in what was going on as I was.

"Okay," I said, nodding and dragging a hand through my hair. "I'll holler when dinner's ready."

"Sure," she replied. "Thanks."

And then she was gone, speeding out of the kitchen and disappearing up the stairs. I stood there for a moment, swallowing hard and trying to focus, listening to the water come on through the pipes upstairs.

The timer going off again finally shook me out of it, and I cursed and went to rescue the pasta from overcooking. Ruining dinner wasn't the way to woo someone, after all.

Twenty minutes later, the food was ready, but there was still no sign of Caro. I half wondered if she was so tired from working so much that she'd fallen asleep upstairs. I was gonna feel pretty guilty if that was the case.

"Caro?" I called, but there was no response.

So I took matters into my own hands and headed up the stairs myself to look for her.

Her door was cracked a bit, and I peeked in, expecting to see her on the bed asleep. That was not what I saw.

Instead she was standing in the middle of the room with her back to the door, dressed in nothing but panties. My mouth dropped open and my eyes were wide.

I knew I should have moved away as soon as I saw she wasn't asleep and wasn't dressed, but I felt rooted to the spot, unable to look away.

She was so fucking beautiful.

I'd always known that, but Jesus.

Six years had been good to her, and I watched as she took her hair in one hand to run fingers through it and then let it fall down her back in damp waves.

It nearly brushed the top of her ass, and my mouth watered. I wanted to run my tongue all over that creamy skin, trace the places where water droplets skimmed over it.

I wanted to go into the room and pin her down, kiss her all over and make her beg for me.

My cock was already swelling in my pants, and I cursed to myself silently. Having dinner with her after seeing that was going to be hella awkward because all I was going to be thinking about was her delicate her ankles seemed and how I wanted to bury myself between her thighs.

I was being real creep though, just standing there staring at her naked back, so I backed up as silently as I could, taking myself back to the stairs and then doing it all over again, stomping a bit this time so she would hear me.

I stopped well short of the door. "Caro?"

"What?"

"Dinner's done."

"Okay, I'll be down in a second." Her door clicked closed quickly, and I let out a breath. That could have ended much worse. I just needed to get ahold of myself so I didn't act like an idiot while we were eating.

I went back downstairs, and Caro wasn't far behind me. She came into the kitchen dressed down in a pair of soft pants and an oversized t-shirt.

Her hair was still down and still damp, and when she got close enough to me, I could make out the scent of the jasmine from her shampoo.

I swallowed hard. The urge to pull her close, to kiss her until she didn't have anything to say but my name was hard to resist, but I gritted my teeth and put the food on the table, going against my better instincts and pouring more wine.

"Where are you getting all these things from?" Caro asked, taking a seat at the table and nodding when I offered her a glass.

"The store," I answered, settling down across from her like I had the night before. Having the table between us was a good idea. "I have to do something while I'm here by myself all day."

She lifted an eyebrow but didn't say anything else, clearly not wanting to pick a fight. I appreciated that. I wasn't feeling combative, and I hated it when she went off on me, even if she was right more than half the time. Maybe especially because she was right more than half the time.

There were things she didn't know about me, things she was completely wrong about, but she still had a way of seeing me that was unnerving now after six years apart.

It made me feel vulnerable and laid bare, and it wasn't the way I wanted to be bare with her at all, even though I could acknowledge that if we were ever going to be anything to each other again, I was probably going to have to get used to it.

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