Page 7 of Fire and Ice
One advantage to being a bachelor was that he could eat anything he damned well pleased. He rounded the corner of the aisle and stopped by the end cap, where he snagged a twelve-pack of Pepsi before heading for the dairy case. Pepsi and peanut butter cereal didn’t go well together. He’d tried it once when he ran out of milk. Once was enough.
He pushed the cart forward to get a gallon of the drink of gods when he came to a stop. “Well, hello there,” he murmured to himself as his gaze rested on none other than the woman of his fantasies.
Chelsea Dunn opened one of the glass doors, grabbed a large tub of Greek yogurt, and set it in her almost full cart. She had an awful lot of food piled in the basket, and he wondered if she lived with anyone.
Did she have a kid or two? Or three? There was a hell of a lot he didn’t know about Chelsea, but he sure wanted to find out everything he could.
He frowned. Did she have a significant other? He mentally shook his head. She wouldn’t have agreed to call him to make dinner plans if she had. But then she hadn’t called him either, so she could have a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend.
Hmmm…
Every man’s fantasy—to be in a ménage with two women.
The possibilities…
He smiled to himself. Fantasies were one thing, reality another. He couldn’t picture sharing Chelsea with anyone.
Let’s find out.
She was looking at her phone’s screen. Shopping list, he guessed.
He pulled his cart beside hers and caught her soft, flowery perfume. “What’s for dinner?”
Chelsea jumped. Her gaze shot up from her phone, and her eyes met his. She paused a moment as he smiled at her. “Grady.” His name sounded so sexy on her lips.
“I’m for dinner?” He did his best not to laugh. “Just tell me when.”
She looked flustered, her cheeks reddening. “No. I meant—” She clearly saw the teasing in his eyes, and she made a face. “Smartass. What are you doing here?”
He laughed this time and nodded in the direction of his basket. “Same as you. I think.” He pointed to the mound of packaged food and fresh vegetables she had in hers. “Not half as good a job of buying out the store as you are.”
Her cheeks reddened, and he grinned. Freaking adorable.
“Of course.” Her chest rose as she sucked in her breath, then fell as she blew out her breath. “That was a silly question.”
He rested his forearms on the handle of his cart. “You look like you’re shopping for a small army.”
“Habit.” She shrugged. “I raised my two sisters and our younger twin brothers, and we never seemed to have enough. The boys ate like they’d never seen food before, and the girls almost rivaled them.” A smile touched her lips as if the memory was a fond one. “So, I tend to fill the pantry and always have enough when anyone pops over, which is fairly often.”
“No roommate?” He did his best to sound casual.
“Nope.” She gripped the handle of her cart as if it was holding her up. “Just me, myself, and I.” She looked slightly amused, no doubt sure of why he had asked.
Nice to know. Didn’t sound at all like a significant other was hanging around.
“I live alone, too.” He shrugged. “Hence the nearly empty cart and the kids’ cereal.”
She glanced at his basket. “I can see you have a dog, too. A big one, considering the large bag?”
“Spot has a hell of an appetite.”
Chelsea grinned. “Spot?”
Grady shrugged. “He was a gift from my sister, Jackie, when I moved here to Arizona. He’s a Dalmatian, and she named him Spot. She figures every firefighter should have one.”
“That is awesome. Jackie has a fun sense of humor.” Chelsea glanced at his basket again. “I take it you’re also not crazy about cooking.”
“Not at all.” He leaned forward as he drank her in. God, she was beautiful. Those amazing curves, all that blonde hair, and he’d never seen such an incredible shade of green as her eyes.
