Page 31 of Outside The Wire

I slowly opened the door, still donning the hat from just a few minutes before. His eyes rose as he forced his lips not to lift in a smile.

“You’re wearing a hat.”

“It’s cold in the house,” I answered, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Well, it is winter,” he answered, stepping inside, holding out a to-go cup for me. “I got you hot cocoa.”

“How did you know?”

“You mentioned it last night.”

He shut the door, kicking off his shoes like he was staying a while. I pursed my lips to the side, wondering what to do. I’d never been in this situation before. He brought the drink to his mouth and took a sip. I watched as his throat worked as he swallowed the hot liquid. Without realizing it, I licked my lips, thinking about the kiss from last night.

“Holly,” he chuckled.

“Huh?” I asked, jerking my gaze back up to his. I could feel my face burning as his eyes danced with humor. I was making such a fool of myself. “Why are you here?”

Man, that was such a stupid thing to say.

“Because I couldn’t stay away. I had to see you.”

And just like that, my ovaries exploded. How was this man still single? Actually, how was it that he didn’t have women chasing him down the street on a daily basis? Just his looks alone had me drooling over him, but one word from his beautiful, perfectly formed lips was enough to make me cease talking just to hear what he would say next. And I was a woman who loved to talk!

“Holly?” he laughed, rubbing his neck uncomfortably. “This is the part where you say something. You’re kinda leaving me hanging.”

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. “I’m sorry, but I was imagining women chasing you down the street with machetes and pitchforks, and you running for your life in just your boxers.”

“Why were they chasing me with machetes and pitchforks? What did I do?”

“You? Oh, it was nothing you did. No, they were chasing you, and then they were going to kill off each other in order to win your hand in marriage. Sort of like a reverse Medieval Ages battle to the death marriage thing.”

He nodded slowly. “Okay.”

“Yep. Still want to spend the day with me?”

“Even more now than when I showed up on your doorstep.”

“Well, in that case, I really need to shower.”

“Okay.”

“And it’s going to take some time.”

“I’ve got all the time in the world,” he said, strolling into my house.

“Just make yourself at home.”

He sat down and grabbed the TV remote, winking at me. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

I nodded and watched him for a moment, then took a step backward. Then another and another. When I was far enough away, I turned on my heel and fled the three steps down the hall and slammed the door to my room. I knew he heard that and probably thought I was insane, but if he didn’t leave when I told him about the women chasing him down the road, I was probably okay.

“This is going to be fine. Yes, he’s in the other room, but you can do this. You take a shower and try not to think about the fact that he’s in the other room. You shower—Crap, I already said that. Okay, shower first and think about everything else later.”

I grabbed a fresh towel and opened my bedroom door to creep across the hall to the bathroom. I really hoped he didn’t need to use the toilet because I only had one bathroom in this small house and I was going to be a while.

Even though I knew he couldn’t see me inside the bathroom, behind the closed door and through the shower curtain, I was completely aware of every move I made, trying to look sexy as I took a shower. It was the most ridiculous thing I’d ever done, and I knew it. But I couldn’t seem to stop myself.

I shaved every inch of my legs, even though nobody had sex for the first time in the middle of the day. What if he brought me back here at night and wanted to have sex? Or what if we went to his place? I needed to be prepared for any possibility, which meant I needed to pick my outfit for the day very carefully. There might not be the opportunity to come back and change into something sexy later on.

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