Page 44 of Fierce-Dane

“I’d never know that,” he said. “It looks new.”

“Lots of things in my house look that way. I hate waste. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine.”

“It’s a good attitude to have,” he said. “I’m probably more wasteful in life than I should be.”

“Everyone could do better, but I don’t lecture by any means.” They moved back down the hall toward the stairs. “I’ve got a little half bath here.”

She opened the door and he laughed. “That’s a tight fit.”

“It is but handy to have on this floor. I don’t need much more than the toilet and little pedestal sink.” One she bought on clearance and installed herself.

They moved up the stairs. “Did you do anything to this railing?”

“No,” she said. “Nothing more than clean it up and seal it again. I love the details in it.”

“It’s nice,” he said. “My house is modern and...plain.”

“If it suits you then it does.”

“I think I don’t look at it one way or another other than I want my kids to be happy and comfortable in it. I’ve decorated some, but most of it is in the kids’ spaces.”

Which said everything there was to be said about Dane.

“I’ve got three bedrooms up here. One I use as an office, the other a spare, but I don’t have guests or anything. One full bath that is big.”

He popped his head in. “That is almost as big as mine.”

She was positive he had a primary suite. “The claw-foot tub sold me. I’m glad the shower is separate, but I wouldn’t have cared if I had to climb into that to take a shower. My legs are long enough.”

She loved the black and white tile on the floor and had cleaned them up well and regrouted too. She’d replaced the vanity with a white one, two bowl sinks that were a frosted white. It went well with the black counter and added contrast.

This home purchase was a big deal for her and she worked hard to give it her style.

“They sure are,” he said, looking at her legs.

They moved to the two spares and then her room next to the bathroom.

“I’ve got a king sized bed. I like the room in bed even if there isn’t a ton of room to move around it. The closets aren’t huge here but suit me.”

She didn’t have a lot of clothes either. Why bother when she wore the same things to work all the time and that was where she spent most of her hours?

After her tour of her modest home, they returned to the deck and she flipped the potatoes and put the filets on next, grabbed the asparagus and seasoned them as well.

He declined a beer, but she’d made his iced tea for him and poured him a glass, and soon they were sitting down for dinner.

“This is great,” he said. “I’ll have to return the favor next time we can get time together.”

“You look at your schedule and I’ll look at mine,” she said.

He smiled at her. His light brown eyes showed something that she knew she was feeling.

Arousal.

It felt as if there was this thick tension of it in the air, but she knew beyond a doubt he wouldn’t make the move.

Maybe that was why she decided she would.

When dinner was cleaned up and they talked about every mundane topic they could, she realized that being in her house was what made the air of arousal so thick and heavy.

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