Page 69 of Delicate Escape

“My bedroom is there.” Thea pointed to an open door just down from the bathroom.

I only caught tiny snatches of color: a soft green comforter with pale purple accents, a photo of a field hanging over her bed—one mere feet from the other open door in the hallway.

“And this is you.”

I stepped inside the bedroom. It was small but cozy. There was a quilt over the bed that looked warm, and an older dresser opposite the bed. But the two windows looked out over Thea’s incredible garden, almost making you feel one with the space.

“I know it’s not much?—”

“It’s perfect,” I said, turning back to her. “I’m going to get spoiled waking up to that garden every day.”

Pink hit the apples of Thea’s cheeks. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Love it,” I corrected.

“Love it,” she echoed.

We stood there for a long moment, the air charging around us.

Thea’s tongue flicked out, wetting her bottom lip. “Do you need help getting your stuff in?”

I wanted to follow that track of wetness with my tongue.Hell.Not even five minutes in, and I couldn’t keep my head straight.

I swallowed down the urge. “I’ve got it. I’ll just unpack and then dig in on the guest bath if that’s cool with you?”

Thea’s head bobbed up and down. “Of course. I’m just doing a harvest in the greenhouse. I thought your mom might want some of my extras.”

The offer hit me right in the damn rib cage. “She’d love that.”

Thea grinned. “Basket of goodies, coming right up.”

She turned and headed out of the room. I couldn’t stop my gaze from dropping to her heart-shaped ass as she went. My fingers twitched at my sides, itching to reach out.

Cold showers. I’d be taking lots of cold showers.

27

THEA

My rag movedacross the bakery table in circles as I looked for any sign of crumbs or spills, but my mind was a million miles away. It was on Shep. His tall, muscular form moving through my house. The way his muscles bunched and flexed as he worked on the bathroom. How his tees rode up when he stretched while drinking his coffee in the morning, exposing a hint of one of those V things.

Three days.

Shep had been living with me for three days, and I was about to combust. He, on the other hand, seemed perfectly fine. I’d caught his gaze lingering on my legs or lips a time or two, but he hadn’t made a single move.

I’d thought with our pseudo-date at The Pop, things were moving in that direction, but all of a sudden, it was like he was back to treating me like spun glass. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate his carefulness—because I did. It meant he cared. I was just ready for…more.

“Pretty sure you’re taking the varnish off thattable at this point.”

I jerked up at the sound of Sutton’s voice.

She laughed. “What is going on in that head of yours?”

I couldn’t help the flush that rose to my cheeks. “Sorry. Distracted, I guess.”

Thankfully, there were only two patrons in the bakery at the moment, and I was pretty sure they were both tourists—no one to remember my embarrassment.

Sutton grinned. “I know that kind of distraction. How is your new roomie?”

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