Page 70 of After All

Derek gave her a smile that was unlike the smiles she’d seen from him in the past. Usually he looked entertained by her. He even got flirtatious with her from time to time, though mostly because he simply couldn’t help it when there was a female within ten yards. But this smile seemed completely affectionate.

“I think you’re right,” Derek said. “He’s got us now.”

Damn right he did.

* * *

The restof her day went well. She spelled everything right, she sent Scott a couple of witty texts—rather than sayingI’m totally falling in love with you and freaking out a little bitabout itas she was tempted to—and she agreed on a day and time to have lunch with her dad. Overall, she felt accomplished and like she had her crap together.

And then she walked into the house to find Scott working out.

He was dressed in only gym shorts and was lifting weights in his dining room. He was standing, legs braced, crutch nearby but not under his arm.

She did not have her crap as together as she had hoped.

She was wound up and completely turned on by…justhim. In the past, she’d been attracted and turned on. But that had been before she really knew him. Not that she’d realized it. But now, after not even a week of living with him, she’d seen a sweet, sexy, funny side of him she hadn’t known before. And now she knew about his task force work and that he was an even bigger hero than she’d thought and…she justwantedhim. So much more than she even had before. This was scary stuff.

His back was to her, and she just stared for several long, delicious moments as he curled the huge dumbbell, arms, shoulders and back muscles bunching and lengthening, his skin glistening slightly with sweat, as Miranda Lambert belted from the stereo system in the living room. Miranda. Peyton’s favorite bad-girl diva.

Peyton swiped a hand over her chin, making sure she wasn’t drooling. She could just sit and watch this for a few minutes. Or an hour. Or two.

Lord, there was a lot of skin and muscle going on there.

She took a deep breath, turned around, and left the house.

She was going to give in. She was going to take her clothes off and beg Scott to do wonderfully dirty things to her. But now it was going to be a really big deal. Or rather now, sherealizedthat it was going to be a really big deal.

So, Peyton was up on a ladder cleaning the gutters when Scott came around the corner of the house an hour later.

“What the hell are you doing?”

She frowned down at him. He had his crutch with him, but she could tell he was more or less just carrying it rather than using it. He also had a shirt on now and his hair was wet.

“Wait, did you shower?”

He ran a hand through his hair and looked sheepish for a very brief moment. “What are you doing up on that ladder?”

“Youshowered?” she demanded. “By yourself? You didn’t even know I was here!”

“Maybe I was hoping you’dgethere and walk in on me.”

She propped a hand on one hip while holding the gutter with the other. “You did not. And if you’re trying to get away with something, you should start sooner or buy a blow dryer so I don’t see the wet hair.”

He sighed.

“I don’t like that. What else have you been doing that you shouldn’t be?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“Scott,” she said warningly. “I’ve been sneaking around and getting away with stuff for way longer than you have and you’re not very good at it. Don’t lie to me.”

“I went for a drive yesterday.”

“Scott!”

“I’m going crazy!” he exclaimed. “Sitting around here all day, doing nothing?”

“You have to be careful! You have toheal. I know it’s hard, but you can’t push this. You could hurt yourself.”

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