Page 6 of Rock with You

“Color choices in the guest rooms. They’re both down the hall, if you want to take a look. You can pick whichever one you like. They share a bathroom. My room’s upstairs so no need to worry about bumping into me in the middle of the night.”

Her cheeks colored ever so slightly. “Thank you.”

Fifteen minutes later, Carly was set up in the burgundy bedroom, and he had failed miserably at starting a fire. He wadded another ball of newspaper under the logs he’d placed in the fireplace and lit it. The paper went up in flames, but the log? Not so much. He was trying really hard to make Carly feel comfortable here, and he couldn’t even start a damn fire.

She came out of the back hallway wearing the gray tee and sweats he’d given her. As predicted, she was swimming in them, but the sight of her in his clothes was a huge turn-on. Her breasts pushed against the loose fabric of the T-shirt. Was she wearing a bra? He couldn’t quite tell.

“Any luck?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Not nearly as easy as flicking the switch in a gas fireplace.”

She laughed as she crouched beside him. “You need some kindling in here with the newspaper to help get the wood started. I wonder if we can find anything outside that’s not soaked?”

“The owner left me stocked with plenty of firewood. It’s in a shed on the back deck.”

“I’ll go have a look.”

He shook his head. “You stay here. I’ll go.”

She pursed her lips. “Okay. Well, we need plenty of sticks and twigs, the smaller, the better. Leaves and bark work great, too.”

“On it.” He headed out the back door, thankful for the all-season deck that kept him warm and dry as he retrieved wood from the storage shed. He found some wood scraps, bark, and pine needles in the bottom of the container of firewood, which he brought back inside to Carly.

She’d rearranged the wood and newspaper in the fireplace, creating a hollow for the kindling to go in beneath the logs. “This is perfect,” she said. A few minutes later, she was nursing a small flame, blowing gently on the sticks as the first log began to burn.

“Okay, I’m impressed,” he said, watching her work.

“I grew up here. It’d be tragic if I didn’t know how to start a fire.” She turned her head, giving him a sweet smile that ignited a million not-so-sweet thoughts in his head.

“I suppose that’s true. You hungry?”

Her eyes darted toward the kitchen, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her belly rumbled. She’d worked a full day at the bakery and driven here straight from work. She was probably starving.

“A little.”

“Well, if you want to know my dirty little secret, I cook about as well as I start fires so I have someone who’s been bringing me meals. All I have to do is heat them up. You’ve got your choice of meatloaf and mashed potatoes or some kind of chicken and vegetables with a creamy sauce. I can’t remember what it’s called.”

“Which were you planning to have?” she asked.

“I was thinking about meatloaf, and there’s more than enough for two if you’d like to share.”

Her lips curved softly. “You brought dinner, and I brought dessert.”

“Did you ever.” He grinned at her as he stood. “You know, if we had to get iced in, this isn’t half bad.”

“True, but I’m sorry for crashing your weekend.” The T-shirt had slipped down her shoulder, revealing a thin pink strap and ruining his braless fantasy.

Damn. “Don’t be. It’s been kind of lonely out here, and besides, I like your company.”

Her eyes widened, but she was still smiling. “Me, too.”

He went into the kitchen and started the meatloaf warming in the oven. “You want something to drink?”

“Sure. What do you have?” She’d followed him into the kitchen, peeking over his shoulder at the fully stocked bar. “Holy crap.”

He turned his head to meet her eyes, feeling the air between them sizzle. “Whatever you like, sweetheart.”

Carly was trying so hard to play it cool and sure that she was failing spectacularly. Sam had catered meals in his fridge. A friggin’ bar in his kitchen. And half her bakery in his pantry. “Wine,” she whispered. “I like wine.”

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