Page 103 of Dallas

“It’s a pie inside a cake.”

“That’s wrong. You can’t put a pie inside a cake.”

“You can.”

“It doesn’t mean you should.”

“Some power-mad baker decided to wreak havoc with the order of the universe, I guess. I don’t know what to tell you,” she said.

Jace took his hat off and smoothed his hair, his muscles shifting beneath his tight T-shirt. He and Poppy must have just gotten back because he rarely wore a hat inside. “I like things to make sense. To go where they belong.”

He walked over to the coat closet and put the black Stetson up on the top shelf, then left the door standing open. A clear invitation for her to put her own stuff away.

She wouldn’t even grumble about it. She picked up her coat and other accessories and brought them to the closet, placing her hat next to his, and then put her gloves on the shelf by the door, right on top of Jace’s leather Carhartts.

She grinned at him in triumph. “I can adapt,” she said.

“Good,” he said. “Because I don’t very well.”

“Aw, be adventurous. Try a cherpumple.”

“I’m letting a dog sleep by my fireplace.I think that’s enough adventure in my life for the time being. I’m not eating some unholy dessert mash-up.”

“A cherpumple and a romantic comedy.”

“A beer andDie HardTwo.”

“Bah!” She smiled at him and her stomach tightened. She took a deep breath and headed toward the kitchen, scooping up the cookies along the way. “Hey, what do you want for dinner?”

“I made dinner,” he said.

“You...made dinner?”

“Yes, you can have some.”

“I thought you just got in.”

“I came in and put chili in the slow cooker and then went back out for a while. I usually live on my own, you know.”

“I know,” she said. “But I kind of picture you being a little more helpless than that. Your kitchen doesn’t look used.”

“Clean. It looks clean.”

“Ahahaha. Funny, funny. Where is this chili?”

“In the Crock-Pot, waiting for you.”

Again she couldn’t shake the feeling of the domestic. And a little bit of bliss. Domestic bliss. She’d been short on that in her life. She wasn’t sure what she thought about feeling it now, in this situation, with Jace.

She hadn’t ever felt this with guys she’d slept with. She’d never felt at ease having them in her space. Which, when you were in a long-term relationship with someone, obviously wasn’t very good. And that was maybe why they’d ended up dumping her.

Man #1, Mike, had lasted for two years. Two years of dates, the occasional dinner and night in and then anunceremonious boot in the morning so she could get back to her life.

Man #2, Caleb, had lasted a fleeting three months and hadn’t made it into her bed. Poor bastard. He’d always been called out at third base. No chance of sliding in home.

Man #3, David, had lasted a record four years. Until he’d wanted them to move in together. And the idea had felt so close to permanent it had given her the shakes.

Two years since that horrific breakup and she’d been sort of happily without.

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