Page 46 of A First Sight

“You’re my guest,” I said. “And it’s rare I have the chance to cook for more than just myself. I’d enjoy it.”

“All right,” she agreed. “But only if you let me help.”

I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to do anything. I would take care of her the way she deserved to be cared for, but I had to let her do things for herself, like with her suitcase.

“How are you with salads?”

She gave me a sideways look, a glint of humor in her eyes. “Are you questioning my skills in the kitchen?”

My smile came partly in response to her question, but mostly because it had impressed me she could joke less than half an hour after the confrontation with her asshole ex. Not only was she strong, but she was resilient as well.

“I’ll let you decide what to make as a side dish, then,” I said. “Is that better?”

“Yes.” One corner of her mouth tipped up in a half-smile before she went to her bedroom. “Let me change into something more comfortable, and I’ll be back.”

I was still preparing the steaks when I heard footsteps behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and was pleased to see that Maggie had changed into a pair of pale pink stretchy pants that could’ve been leggings or yoga pants. Or those might have been the same thing. I didn’t know. She also wore an oversized Juilliard sweatshirt that emphasized her slender build. And she had bare feet. With purple toenails. She did not know how sexy her entire outfit made her look.

“Hi.” She sounded shy as she hovered next to the island that separated the kitchen from the table where I usually ate.

“How do you like your steak?” I asked, ignoring the way my heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.

“You deci–” she stopped for a second, then continued, “medium, thank you.”

“Anything you don’t want on yours?” I gestured to a pile of vegetables.

“No mushrooms.”

I nodded and went back to what I was doing.

“Did you speak to Carson today?” The question had been on my mind all day.

“That eager to get rid of me, are you?”

She sounded like she was teasing, but I caught the hint of worry in her eyes. “It’s the opposite,” I said quickly. “I’m hoping you’ll stay here for a long time.”

Her face had an inkling of disbelief, but she didn’t argue. “Carson texted me to say his apartment is still uninhabitable for at least another week.”

Her dry tone made me chuckle. “Well, tell Carson if he needs a place to stay, I have a second guestroom, but he’ll have to sit in the chair when we watchPretty Woman.”

As I hoped, my comment drew a laugh.

“I think he’s fine where he is,” she said as she went to the refrigerator. “But I’ll let him know that if he needs a place to stay, he can come here. With the chair stipulation, of course.”

As we prepared dinner, I shared stories about my family and what it was like growing up in Scotland. Maggie told me she was born there, but her only memories were from vacations around Edinburgh.

I had the urge to tell her I’d show her Inverness one day. I had dreamed about a second kiss from the moment the first one ended, but it wasn’t possible. Or, at the very least, it wasn’t smart.

After dinner, Maggie and I retired to the couch, with barely an inch between us. This last week, with every passing minute, I’d felt Belle slipping further into my past. I had assumed the reason I couldn’t get over Belle was that I would never fall in love again, but now I wondered if I’d been waiting for Maggie McCrae all this time. Because no matter what logic or common sense told me, I was falling for her hard and fast.

She leaned close to me and placed her lips against my left ear. “There’s something I've fantasized about doing again.”

I turned my head to face her. Our eyes met briefly before I leaned forward, and our mouths touched.

My body jolted, waking me from a trance I had not recognized. Maggie parted her lips, tracing her tongue around my bottom lip, then pulled back.

The color of her eyes had darkened with heated desire. I gave her a seductive smile. “What a coincidence. I’ve been thinking the same thing,” I said and lowered my head, pausing my lips an inch from hers. “First, I need to know how—”

“Okay, I am?” She finished my sentence. “I’m good enough to know that this is definitely okay.”

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