Page 20 of The Problem with Fire
There was so much sitting on the tip of my tongue, but I wasn’t going to chance having my words twisted. So, instead of giving her another set-down, I just walked right past her and out of the storage room. No way was I getting caught up in her bullshit.
Chapter 11
Monroe~
Holy crap.
I was standing in my doorway, my hair up in a tangled, damp bun, no makeup, a pair of jeans, and an old Oakland Raiders t-shirt that has seen better days. I also had flip-flops on and couldn’t recall the last time I’ve had a pedicure. Heels were hell on a woman’s feet and toes.
And here I was, staring at a deliciously gorgeous Sayer Hayes, as he was not dressed in jeans and an old t-shirt.
Nope.
He was dressed in a dark green button-up that had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the first two top buttons undone, the tails hanging out over the waistband of some dark blue jeans, and some tan Timberlands.
He looked like I was about to have a heart attack. That’s how mouthwatering the man looked. And because I’ve seen him washing his car without a shirt, the muscles underneath turned the clothes he was wearing into a heart-stopping ensemble.
“Wh…what are you doing here?” I blurted, never imagining he had been serious about our date. It’s been over a week, and while I knew he worked long hours, and I’d had Leta all week, we hadn’t spoken a word to each other beyond a hello or a wave when I’d see him coming or going from his house. Our date had never been confirmed, and…well, quite frankly, since Leta had never mentioned anything about our fake dating, I hadn’t felt it necessary to address the fictitious date.
Only, I guess, it hadn’t been fictitious after all.
Sayer just grinned. “Did you forget?”
I shook my head, absolutely mortified. “I…uh…”
His brows shot up, but his face softened as he took mercy on me. “You didn’t think I was being serious,” he surmised.
My face felt hot. “I’m sorry, Saye-”
“Can I come in?”
I almost scoffed. Like I was going to tell him no after he got dressed up and had taken our date seriously, and I hadn’t.
I gave him a tight grin and stepped aside, so he could come in. He fired another wink at me, and my insides dip with an attraction I had no business feeling.
No matter what Karma said, and no matter how strong women were these days, Sayer Hayes was way out of my league.
I shut the front door behind me, and it was awkward as hell having Sayer standing just inside my living room, dressed for a date I hadn’t taken seriously. I had just gotten out of the shower and was dressed for a night on the couch.
Alone.
“Sayer-”
“Can I be honest with you, Monroe,” he said, interrupting another apology I’d been about to make for being such a clueless tool. I nodded, hoping to salvage some pride. “I like you, Monroe.”
I smiled softly. “I like you, too, Sayer,” I told him honestly. He was a good neighbor, and he seemed like a great guy.
But then he stepped closer until my back was up against the door and his body was crowding mine. “No, Monroe,” he rasped out, low and rough. “Ilikeyou.”
Everything stopped.
My lungs, my heart, my brain, they all just stopped.
Was he saying…?
“W…wh…uh, what?” I squawked in a low whisper.
Sayer placed his left hand against the door near my head, and his other hand came to rest on my hip. My lungs started working again, but only to suck in a shocked breath at the connection of his hand on my hip. I stared into his fiery blue eyes as his hand lid upward until it was hot against my bare flesh, his thumb running lazily back and forth over my skin.
