Page 6 of Love Like Lightning

The overly dramatic thought crosses my mind and gives me pause. Just for a heartbeat.

I’m being silly. This isn’t some life-altering situation.

It’s not that serious. This is a one night only situation, then I’ll head home, and we’ll forget all about each other.

I’m more than positive that I’ll just be a tiny blip on his radar when it comes to hookups. And that’s fine.

Still, when I turn the knob, my nerves feel frayed. Only when the door opens do my thoughts quiet.

Henry shifts from one foot to the other. His hands are buried in the pockets of the black hoodie he’s wearing, his cheeks are pink, and his hair appears to be damp. The curls look darker and slightly more defined than they were at the bar. The effect is far more attractive than it has any right to be.

And now I’m thinking about the shower he must’ve taken before coming over, and my body starts to warm significantly.

The look on his face is almost contemplative before he sees me, but once he does, that grin of his slides right back into place. Oh, God. That dimple really is too much.

Ugh.

“Hey.” He doesn’t just come in, even though I can see his breath in the cold.

“Hi.” I pull the door wider, a shiver rolling down my back. When he still doesn’t move, I frown. “That was fast.”

“Oh, I kind of hedged my bets. I was almost here when I texted you.”

“Oh.” Surprised, I laugh. I don’t know this man, but somehow, I know that must be a very him kind of thing to do. “Are you going to come in?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.” He shuffles into the room quickly so I can shut the cold out behind him.

The moment the door shuts, I have to stop myself from inhaling the clean, spicy scent that trails in behind him. It’s stronger than it was at the bar with so many people around. He’s not even standing particularly close to me, but that scent is suddenly everywhere at once. My body hums, and I barely stop myself from shoving my face into the crook of his neck to get a good whiff.

A good whiff? Who am I?

I’m almost positive at this moment that I’ve never been so attracted to a man in my life. And it’s making me want to act like…I don’t know what.

It’s making me want to act up.

3

Henry

I’m trying to come up with a polite way to ask if maybe she can crank the heat, just until I recover from walking all the way over here right after showering, when she finally flips the deadbolt and turns to look at me.

The moment her eyes meet mine, they flare with interest, and suddenly I don’t need the heat on. If anything, I need to start taking my clothes off.

Whoa, slow down there, buddy. She’s not one of your usual conquests.

Well, that’s not entirely true. She’s an out of towner, only here for one more night, and hot as hell. There’s just something about her, something that’s caught me a little off guard even in the minimal amount of time we’ve spent together so far. The same thing that had me saying dumb shit when I was trying to hit on her.

This isn’t how things usually go. Normally, I lay all the groundwork before I end up in the bedroom. I’ll spend the better part of the night chatting someone up, getting to know them a little and letting them get to know me. I barely had a chance to get my flirt on with Gia. We’ve barely had any conversation at this point. All I know is that she’s drop dead gorgeous, has kind eyes, is smart as hell, and is different. I’m not sure how she’s different yet, but I already know I like it.

That, and it’s clear that she’s a little nervous. She hasn’t stopped flicking the ring on her thumb since I stepped foot into her room.

“This is a really nice room.” I manage to tear my eyes away from hers. Slowly turning, I take it in. I’ve never actually been in any of the rooms here at the bed and breakfast. No reason to when my parents own and run a lodge nearby. And as much as the rooms we have out at the lodge are nice, this is super updated.

Right in the center is a queen bed decked out in a soft-looking sky-blue comforter. A simple wrought iron frame made up of all clean lines lifts the mattress high off the ground.

There’s a tiny area that looks like a mini kitchen just off to one side next to what looks like the door that leads into the lobby of the bed and breakfast. The walls are lined with an interesting green wallpaper with a geometric pattern. There’s a long desk along one side of the wall, very sleek, with a modern desk chair that looks less comfy than fashionable. I spot her luggage sitting in the corner next to the desk.

Her suitcase is splayed open with clothes spilling out. There are at least two pairs of shoes that were clearly kicked off without a second thought. The bed’s made, but I can tell that she just threw the covers on in a way that looked neat. Actually, now that I look, there’s stuff everywhere, all spread out in no discernible order.

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