Page 3 of Saving Shepperd

The drive to Law’s place wasn’t very long. It helped immensely that the greater portion of evening commuters had already made it home, so that decreased my drive time as well. Looking at my phone—twice—to ensure the front door I stood before was the right one, I lifted my hand to ring the bell just as the large walnut panel swung open.

“There she is!” the sexy man said with that mischievous grin I was getting used to seeing on his handsome face.

With my hand at my throat, I gasped, “Holy shit! You surprised me.”

“I have cameras,” he said and opened his arms wide to greet me.

I stepped into his embrace and let my eyes flutter closed as his intoxicating scent enveloped me. Even while working out, this man smelled so freaking good I wanted to climb him like a tree.

He planted a quick kiss to the side of my head while we hugged and he quietly said, “I’m so happy to see you.” His voice was deep and scratchy beside my ear, and goosebumps erupted on my arms and thighs from the vibration.

When he released me from his arms, I looked up and smiled. Surely, my eyes were glassy, betraying the arousal he just flooded me with and still, the smile was an actual, genuine one. It felt good to hear someone was happy to see me, and I soaked in the feeling.

“Thank you for the invite.”

“Well, I hope you brought your appetite,” he said while tugging me through his spotless home to the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink while I get everything to the table?”

“What are you having?” I looked around the various counters to spot his beverage of choice, not wanting to ask for alcohol if he was drinking something else.

“I have a beer I’ve been nursing while I cook, but there’s a great bottle of wine to go with dinner breathing on the table.”

“Mmm, that sounds great. I can help myself, though. Or do you need a hand with anything? Let me just wash up real fast,” I offered as I made my way to the sink to wash my hands. “Your home is lovely. Is it just you here?” I called back over my shoulder.

The place was beyond lovely. I was totally trying to play it cool. Ironically, he didn’t live that far from my parent’s home in Brentwood. I wasn’t completely sure what he did for a living, but obviously it was something lucrative because the rent in this area was outrageous.

His decor was right up my alley too. Simple and clean, and everything neat and tidy. I couldn’t stand cluttered spaces. Messy homes made my brain short-circuit. You wouldn’t know that by the room I shared with my twin. Well…used to share with my twin. Now that she’d moved in with her boyfriend, Andrew, I had the room to myself.

But I hated that house. I hated everything there except my twin sister, as a matter of fact. This place of Law’s, though? Serious goals. Maybe if this budding romance we were getting into didn’t work out, I could just move in and be his housekeeper. The thought made me chuckle to myself, and unfortunately, I must have laughed loud enough that he’d heard me.

“What’s so funny over there?” he asked over his shoulder while tossing an enormous salad.

“Oh my God, Law.” I bugged my eyes wide at the size of the salad bowl. “Are there more people joining us? There’s so much food here!” A quick wave of panic swept over my entire body. I mean, I said I would eat, but there was so much food on the island. What the hell was he thinking?

“Nope, just us,” he said with a hint of embarrassment. “You see, I come from a very big family. They’re the only ones I ever cook for, and I’m used to needing enough for a small army. I didn’t do a very good job of scaling down for just two, did I?”

I climbed up onto a stool across from where he was working. “How many siblings do you have?”

“There are ten of us. Plus Mom and Dad, of course.” He grinned at my wide-eyed reaction.

“Your poor mother,” I said smiling into my glass. After tasting the wine, I moaned into the glass and went back for another taste. “Wow, this is fantastic.”

“Woman,” he said in the most serious tone and completely stopped what he was doing to stare at me. Luckily he didn’t hold the quiet pause long enough to truly make me panic and said, “Do not make sounds like that when I’m standing this close to you. We won’t make it to the meal.” He quirked one brow higher than the other, and I giggled.

Freaking giggled. Like a silly little schoolgirl. Instantly I felt heat crawl up my chest and neck and then fill my cheeks with a flush I knew he would notice.

Law continued to stare at me, and the blushing just got worse.

“Sorry,” I said and studied the movement in the countertop stone. It was either marble or limestone, I wasn’t sure which, but had interesting veins of gray and beige throughout. The earthy colors were picked up in the cabinet finish and other decorative accents around the room.

He moved with a grace I don’t think I’d witnessed in a man. Law was in front of me before I could make sense of his relocation, and he bent at the waist to be eye-level with me.

His eyes were soulful and intense, and his gaze flitted around my face and neck before he finally spoke.

In a dark, raspy tone that settled right between my thighs, he said, “You are the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. This heat moving over your skin is mesmerizing.” He gave me a slow, perfect kiss that left me breathless when he stood tall again. “Now stop trying to distract me, or I’m going to burn something,” he said with a wink and was gone and back to his tasks on the other side of the island.

When I was sure sound would come from my throat that wasn’t just a helpless whimper, I said, “Thank you. I think I’m just going to call you Danger moving forward.”

He laughed a deep, hearty laugh that made my grin spread wider. “Danger, huh? I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but never that one. Big points for originality, lady.”

---